Could a headset at home boost memory in dementia?
NCT ID NCT05661084
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle electrical current applied to the brain, guided by a caregiver at home, can improve memory, thinking, and walking in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. 144 participants will receive either real or sham stimulation over several sessions. The goal is to see if this safe, non-invasive approach can ease symptoms and improve daily function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) using alternating or direct current
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a safe, at-home way to ease memory loss and mobility problems in people with mild dementia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with only 144 participants, and the treatment is not a cure. The effects may be small or not last long, and results may not apply to everyone with dementia.
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 144 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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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55 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: Participants (Ps) * willing and capable to give informed consent for the participation in the study after it has been thoroughly explained * able and willing to comply with all study requirements * an informed consent form was signed * able to read, write, and communicate in English Caregiver/Administrators (As) * at least 18 years of age * able to read, write, and communicate in English * self-reported computer proficiency and willingness to learn how to use tES as defined by "yes" answers to the questions "Do you feel comfortable using a computer?" and "Are you willing to be the primary caregiver for a participant and learn how to administer tES?" * stated availability during weekdays throughout the study period to administer tES to the Ps Exclusion Criteria: Participants (Ps) * major psychiatric co-morbidity including major depressive disorder, schizophrenia or psychosis * blindness or other disabilities that prevent task performance * contraindications to tES, as recorded on a standardized screening questionnaire, which include a reported seizure within the past two years, use of neuroactive drugs, self-reported presence of specific implanted medical devices (e.g., deep brain stimulator, medication infusion pump, cochlear implant, etc.) * the presence of any active dermatological condition, such as eczema, on the scalp a score of 18 or less on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) during the in-person screen * an inability to understand study procedures following review of the Informed Consent form * Understanding will be assessed by asking the participant to answer the following three questions: 1) What is the purpose of this study? 2) What are the risks of study involvement? 3) If you decide to participate, are you allowed to withdraw from the study at any time? Answers will be recorded by study personnel on the "Assessment of Protocol Understanding" form. Insufficient understanding will be defined by one or more incorrect answers, as determined at the discretion of the investigator Caregiver/Administrators (As) * mild cognitive impairment defined by a MoCA score ≤26 during the in-person screen * insufficient understanding of study procedures following review of the Informed Consent form * Understanding will be assessed by asking the participant to answer the following three questions: 1) What is the purpose of this study? 2) What are the risks of study involvement? 3) If you decide to participate, are you allowed to withdraw from the study at any time? Answers will be recorded by study personnel on the "Assessment of Protocol Understanding" form. Insufficient understanding will be defined by one or more incorrect answers, as determined at the discretion of the investigator. * poor eyesight, severe arthritis in the hands, pain, deformity or other condition that interferes with successful administration of tES
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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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Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02131, United States
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