Could flickering lights and sounds slow Alzheimer's? MIT launches home device trial
NCT ID NCT05655195
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a device that flashes light and plays sound at a specific frequency (40Hz) can help people with mild Alzheimer's. Sixty participants will use the device at home for an hour each day over six months. Researchers will check brain waves, memory, and blood markers to see if the stimulation slows the disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- GENUS device (light and sound stimulation at 40Hz)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive, at-home treatment to slow Alzheimer's progression by reducing harmful brain proteins and improving memory.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early feasibility study with only 60 people. It may show no benefit, and side effects like headache or dizziness are possible. Results may not apply to all Alzheimer's patients.
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.
- Started
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Dec 2022
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
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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65 to 100 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: Subjects may be enrolled into the study if they meet all of the following criteria: * Subject is between the ages of 65 - 100. * Subject must have mild Alzheimer's disease with a Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score of 19-26. * Subject is willing to sign informed consent document. * If subject is deemed to not have capacity to sign the informed consent, he/she will need a legally authorized representative to provide surrogate consent. * Able to complete the 1st month of at home stimulation at their primary residence. If subjects plan to spend more than 1 week away from their primary residence during the trial, their inclusion must be assessed by the research team. Exclusion Criteria: Subjects who meet any of the following conditions will not be enrolled in the study: * Subjects who do not have healthcare. * Subjects who are currently taking amyloid reducing therapy. * Subjects who have \> 4 cerebral microbleeds or 1 macrobleed in their brain * Active treatment on a dosage of one or more psychiatric agents (e.g. antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc) for LESS THAN three months (a stable dose for greater than or equal to three months is ok). * Subjects who are actively diagnosed with cancer and undergoing cancer-related treatments * Subjects who are being treated with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists (eg. Memantine). * Subjects on medications that lower seizure threshold such as wellbutrin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, etc. * Subjects with history of seizure or epilepsy * Subjects with clinically significant suicide risk and/or suicide attempt in the past 1 year. * Subjects with behavioral problems such as aggression/agitation/impulsivity that might interfere with their ability to comply with protocol. * Subjects with untreated or unstable depression * Active treatment with one or more anti-epileptic agent. * Subjects who have had a stroke within the past 24 months. * Subjects who have had eye surgery in the last 3 months or are scheduled to have eye surgery in the next 6 months (during the study) * Subjects diagnosed with migraine headache. * Subjects who have an active implantable medical device including but not limited to implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), deep brain stimulator (DBS), cardiac pacemaker, and/or sacral nerve stimulator. * Subjects who have profound hearing or visual impairment. * Subjects who have a life expectancy of less than 2 years. * Subjects who are pregnant. * Current or past history of any neurological disorder other than dementia, such as epilepsy, stroke, progressive neurologic disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis) or intracranial brain lesions; and history of previous neurosurgery or head trauma that resulted in residual neurologic impairment.
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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
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RECRUITINGCambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, United States
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