Sleep drug may unlock Brain's natural garbage disposal

NCT ID NCT07432997

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 ยท Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether a medication used for sleep can boost the brain's natural waste-clearing system, called the glymphatic system, in healthy older adults. The goal was to see if this approach could help remove harmful proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease. Thirty-one participants received controlled sleep treatments and blood tests to measure protein clearance. The study is exploratory and aims to understand if this strategy could support future Alzheimer's therapies.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

31 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2023

Finished

Sep 2024

Lead sponsor

A company

The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

55 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Potential participants must satisfy the following criteria to be enrolled in the study: 1. In the opinion of the Principal Investigator, participants must be fluent in English and be able to understand the informed consent form approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). All participants must sign the study informed consent document indicating that they understand the purpose of procedures required for the study and are willing to participate in the study prior to any study procedures being performed. 2. Participants may be men or women, age 55 - 65 years (inclusive). Enrollment will target equal number of men and women participants. 3. Participants must have a MoCA score at least 26 for in-person assessment or 19 for over-the-phone assessment, unless waived by decision of the PI. 4. Participants must have a GDS-15 score of 4 or less. 5. Participants must provide an address and phone number where they can be accessible to the Study team for follow up. 6. Participants must agree to wear the GF Monitor per the Study Phase under baseline and dexmedetomidine infusion and be willing to complete all other aspects of the protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * Potential participants who meet any of the following criteria will be excluded from participating in the study: 1. Participants with a formal diagnosis of any sleep disorder (e.g., sleep apnea on PAP therapy, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, parasomnia). 2. Participants with a history of significant neurological disease or history of epilepsy. 3. Participants with cardiovascular disease or hypertension. 4. Participants with diabetes. 5. Participants with traumatic brain injury, or serious mental illness including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. 6. Participants who have taken in the past 30 days prescribed or over-the-counter (OTC) stimulants, sleeping medications, or psychiatric medications including antidepressants. 7. Participants who consume more than 400 mg/day of caffeine. Participants will be required to not consume caffeine on the day-of the sleep study. 8. Female Participants who consume more than 3 alcoholic drinks on any day or more than 7 drinks per week. Male participants who consume more than 4 alcoholic drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week. 9. Participants who are enrolled in other research studies and are receiving an investigational drug within 30 days of the planned start date for visit 1. 10. Participants who have any condition that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, would compromise the well-being of the participant or the study or prevent the participant from meeting or performing study requirements. 11. Participants who have a pre-planned surgery or medical procedure that would interfere with the conduct of the study. 12. Participants with a serious infection requiring medical attention in the past 30 days. 13. Any significant neurological impairment in the opinion of the Principal Investigator that would affect the GF Monitor data. 14. Participants with a diagnosis of substance use-disorder in the past 2 years. 15. Participants with urinary retention or requiring to void several times during the night

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Stanford University Medical Center

    Stanford, California, 94305, United States

  • Washington State University

    Spokane, Washington, 99164, United States

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