Zapping the brain to boost memory and mood in Alzheimer's

NCT ID NCT07694921

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 10, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests a non-invasive technique called temporal interference stimulation (TIS) that uses weak electrical fields to target deep brain areas involved in memory and emotion. Researchers will give two weeks of TIS to people with Alzheimer's disease who also have depression, then measure changes in thinking, mood, and brain activity. The goal is to see if this safe, painless method can improve both cognitive and emotional symptoms.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Temporal Interference Stimulation (TIS) device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease both cognitive decline and depression in Alzheimer's patients.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply widely. The treatment is experimental and its long-term effects are unknown.

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.

Started

Jun 2026

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

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

60 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: * (1) Right-handed, Han ethnicity; (2) Meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5); (3) Age ≥60 years, with at least primary school education, and capable of cooperating during testing; (4) Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score \<24; (5) Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5 or 1; (6) The 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24) score ≥20. Exclusion Criteria: * (1) Systemic diseases causing cognitive impairment, such as hypothyroidism, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; (2) Comorbid neurological disorders including epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, normal-pressure hydrocephalus, and brain tumors; (3) Comorbid mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or psychiatric disorders due to alcohol or drug abuse; (4) History of post-traumatic loss of consciousness, intracranial infection, or cerebrovascular disease; (5) A Hachinski Ischemic Scale (HIS) score ≥4; (6) Cranial MRI revealing ischemic lesions involving critical brain regions like the hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia, or angular gyrus, or multiple ischemic lesions in deep gray matter of the cerebral hemispheres; (7) Inability to undergo MRI due to special conditions such as internal metal implants or pacemakers.

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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.

How to take part

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

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University

    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China

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