Zapping your brain while you sleep might boost memory, study hints

NCT ID NCT07658274

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Xidian University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether a mild electrical current applied to the forehead during sleep can improve memory in healthy young adults. Thirty participants will spend four nights in a sleep lab, receiving either real or fake stimulation while their brain waves, heart rate, and breathing are monitored. The goal is to see if this technique can strengthen procedural and working memory overnight.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (eTNS)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive way to enhance memory consolidation during sleep.
What could go wrong: This is a very small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. The effects may be small or not translate to real-world memory improvement.

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

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

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jun 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jul 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 35 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show 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. Healthy young adults (e.g., college students), aged generally between 18 and 30 years. 2. Right-handed. 3. Body Mass Index (BMI) ≤ 30 kg/m\^2. 4. Capable of fully comprehending the experimental procedures and voluntarily signing the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. History or current presence of neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders, or brain damage. 2. History or current presence of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., arrhythmias or abnormal nocturnal heart rate). 3. Presence of depressive or anxiety symptoms (assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 \[PHQ-9\] score \> 9, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 \[GAD-7\] score \> 9). 4. Presence of sleep disturbances or poor sleep quality (assessed by Insomnia Severity Index \[ISI\] score \> 8, or Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index \[PSQI\] score \> 10). 5. Any medication use within the past six months that could affect stress responses, cognitive abilities, or sleep architecture. 6. History of smoking or alcohol abuse. 7. Known skin allergies to conductive paste, medical tape, or silicone electrodes. 8. Female participants who are in their menstrual period during the scheduled experimental sessions (sessions must be strategically scheduled to avoid this period). 9. Inability or refusal to abstain from caffeine, tea, and alcohol for at least 24 hours prior to and during the experimental sessions.

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Healthy volunteers (HV)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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Zapping your brain while you sleep might boost memory, study hints

What the study statuses mean