Can flickering light and sound slow Alzheimer's?
NCT ID NCT07758751
First seen Aug 11, 2026 · Last updated Aug 12, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a device delivering synchronized 40-Hz light and sound stimulation can safely improve cognitive function in people with early Alzheimer's disease. Sixty participants with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer's will receive either active stimulation or a sham (inactive) version daily for four weeks. Researchers will measure changes in memory and thinking, brain activity, and blood markers before and after treatment, with follow-ups at three and six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A device delivering synchronized auditory and visual stimulation at 40 Hz
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this non-invasive stimulation could offer a new way to slow cognitive decline in early Alzheimer's disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early, small trial (60 participants) testing short-term effects; results may not be conclusive or generalizable, and the device may cause discomfort or no benefit.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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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45 to 75 years
- 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. Provision of written informed consent by the participant or the participant's legally authorized representative. 2. Age 45 to 75 years, inclusive. 3. Completion of at least primary school education. 4. Diagnosis within the Alzheimer's disease spectrum according to the National 5.Institute on Aging and Alzheimer's Association criteria. Mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease or mild Alzheimer's disease dementia, defined by a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of ≤24 for participants with middle school education or above, or ≤23 for participants with primary school education, and a Clinical Dementia Rating global score of 0.5 or 1. 6.Evidence of Alzheimer's disease pathology based on a positive positron emission tomography, cerebrospinal fluid, or blood biomarker result. 7.Alzheimer's disease-related medications are expected to remain stable during the study period. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current or previous history of a neurological disorder other than Alzheimer's disease that may affect cognition or study assessments, including epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, poorly controlled migraine, intracranial injury, previous neurosurgery, or head trauma with residual neurological impairment. 2. Contraindication to magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, auditory stimulation, visual stimulation, or noninvasive brain stimulation. 3. Current major depressive disorder or another psychiatric disorder that, in the investigator's judgment, may interfere with study participation or outcome assessment. 4. Clinically significant structural abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging, including hydrocephalus, stroke, or another structural lesion that may confound study results. 5. Severe cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. 6. Cognitive impairment primarily attributable to another disorder, including frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease dementia, or vascular dementia. 7. Clinically significant suicide risk or a suicide attempt within the previous 12 months. 8. Behavioral disturbance, including severe aggression, agitation, or impulsivity, that may interfere with adherence to study procedures. 9. Current or planned treatment with an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody during the study period. 10. Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes the participant unsuitable for the study.
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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 official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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.
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