Zapping the brain to boost memory and mood in Alzheimer's
NCT ID NCT07694921
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
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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
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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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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
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Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China
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