Brain zaps plus brain games show promise for dementia
NCT ID NCT06547021
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether mild electrical stimulation on the scalp, combined with memory games on an iPad, can improve thinking and memory in people with dementia. About 100 older adults with mild to moderate dementia will receive either real or fake stimulation to see which works best. The goal is to find a safe, non-drug way to help with daily mental tasks.
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 (tDCS and tACS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to ease memory and thinking problems in people with dementia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early, small study (100 people) testing different stimulation types. It may not show clear benefits, and effects could vary from person to person.
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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- 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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50 to 95 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: * MoCA score between 5 and 24 * Between the age of 50 and 95 years old Exclusion Criteria: * Being diagnosed with Parkinson's, Parkinsonian dementia, Huntington disease, speech significant aphasia and intellectual disability, major depression/anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or any other major mood disorder. * Having a History of epileptic seizures or epilepsy * Inability to adequately communicate in English * Impaired vision or hearing severe enough to impair performance in cognitive tests * Current substance abuse disorder * Currently participating in another therapeutic study for dementia * Change to medication for Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or depression
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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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Riverview Health Centre
RECRUITINGWinnipeg, Canada
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