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Can zapping the brain at home boost memory in Alzheimer's?

NCT ID NCT07839650

Symptom relief Sponsor: IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a home-based brain stimulation technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can improve thinking and memory when combined with computerized cognitive training. The trial enrolls 30 people with mild Alzheimer's disease, who are randomly assigned to receive either real or sham stimulation over eight weeks. Participants complete 40 stimulation sessions and cognitive training exercises, with assessments at the start, after treatment, and at follow-up visits. The study also looks at biological markers and brain activity to understand how the intervention might work.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) combined with computerized cognitive training
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a home-based way to support memory and thinking in people with mild Alzheimer's disease.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial of 30 people, so any benefits may not hold up in larger studies. The stimulation may not meaningfully change symptoms, and participants must follow a demanding schedule of sessions.

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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Sep 2032

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

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

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

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: Patients: * Male or female participants aged ≥18 years at the time of signing the informed consent form; * Clinical diagnosis of mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) according to current clinical criteria; * Availability of a caregiver who can assist the participant and who has successfully completed the required training for the use of the device at home. Caregivers: * Male or female caregivers aged ≥18 years; * Compliance with participation in the in-hospital training; * Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score \>27/30. Exclusion Criteria: * Age below that specified in the inclusion criteria; * Inability to understand; * Contraindications to tACS and TMS (e.g., presence of a cardiac pacemaker or metallic implants incompatible with electrical or magnetic fields, history of epilepsy, or current pregnancy, as assessed using the safety questionnaire).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Alzheimer dementia (AD) Alzheimer disease (AD) Cognitive rehabilitation Transcranial alternating current stimulation

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio - Fatebenefratelli

    RECRUITING

    Brescia, Brescia, 25125, Italy

  • IRCCS S. Maria Nascente - Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Milan, Italy

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