Shock and focus: new home therapy aims to sharpen aging brains after injury
NCT ID NCT07332299
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle, non-invasive brain stimulation (tDCS) combined with computer-based brain games can improve attention, memory, and decision-making in veterans aged 65 and older who have had a mild traumatic brain injury. Participants will do exercises from home over several weeks, with some receiving real stimulation and others a placebo. The goal is to see if this approach is both effective and practical for seniors.
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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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
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 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: 1. Veterans age 65 and older. 2. History of mild TBI (as defined by the DOD/VA criteria used in conjunction with the OSU TBI-ID) sustained at least 3 months prior to enrollment. 3. Self-reported or medically documented attention and/or concentration difficulties. 4. Stable dose of all prescription and non-prescription medications that may impact cognition or brain chemistry (except for PRN medication) for at least 3 weeks prior to the baseline session (Visit 1), in the medical opinion of the principal investigator. 5. Capable and willing to provide voluntary informed consent, in the medical opinion of the principal investigator. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of a medical, psychiatric, physical or non-physical disease, disorder, condition, injury, disability or pre-existent history such that study participation, in the opinion of the principal investigator: (a) may pose a significant risk to the participant, (b) raises the possibility that the participant is unlikely to successfully complete all the requirements of the study according to the study protocol, or (c) might adversely impact the integrity of the data or the validity of the study results. Specific conditions include (but are not limited to) a history of brain tumor near the stimulation site, brain surgery, stroke with current sequalae, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's Disease, ALS, ataxia, aphasia, Alzheimer's Disease, and dementia. 2. Moderate to severe cognitive impairment with MoCA score (assessed upon enrollment) less than 15. 3. Prior treatment with ECT or neuromodulation in the last 12 months. 4. Current severe alcohol or substance use disorder with evidence of withdrawal or tolerance within the past 6 months, based on psychiatric history and/or a review of available medical records. 5. Psychosis or mania within 30 days of enrollment, as determined by the principal investigator, based on psychiatric history and/or a review of available medical records. 6. Contraindications for tDCS (e.g., metallic cranial plates/screws or implanted device, eczema or skin lesions on scalp near electrode site, etc.). 7. No or limited internet connection in their home.
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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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Minneapolis VA Health Care System
RECRUITINGMinneapolis, Minnesota, 55417, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Bedside ultrasound could flag hidden brain injury decline
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- Machine learning may forecast brain decline after head injury