Brain zaps and treadmills: new combo may boost aging brains
NCT ID NCT07497334
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether combining a gentle brain stimulation technique (called iTBS and cTBS) with aerobic exercise can improve thinking, walking, and daily function in older adults who are frail and have mild memory issues. Researchers will compare this combo to exercise alone or fake stimulation. The goal is to find a safe, non-drug way to help people stay independent longer.
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 45 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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 to 90 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. be between 60 and 90 years old; 2. scored \< 9/12 on the SPPB; 3. scored \>18/30 on the MoCA; 4. scored \>9/42 on the PFFS; 5. lived in the community; 6. be able to ambulate up to four meters with or without assistive devices; 7. be able to provide written informed consent on their own behalf; 8. can understand verbal and written Cantonese and/or English. Exclusion Criteria: 1. have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contraindications; 2. have aerobic exercise contraindications; 3. have transcranial magnetic stimulation contraindications; 4. be diagnosed with neurodegenerative conditions (i.e., dementia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke); 5. live in a nursing home or other care facilities/institutions; 6. bed taking fixed dose of medication or had been taking medications known to potentially affect cognitive and physical function (e.g., psychotropic medications), as identified through a review of their medication lists recorded in the health software. Medications were categorized by properties (e.g., antipsychotics, antidepressants, etc.) to inform eligibility decisions. 7. have a history indicative of carotid sinus sensitivity (i.e., falls due to loss of consciousness); 8. cancer and undergo radiation therapy.
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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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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
RECRUITINGHong Kong, Hong Kong
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can home exercise keep older adults with cognitive frailty on their feet?