Zapping the brain without surgery: could a new device improve memory?
NCT ID NCT07560904
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a non-invasive electrical stimulation technique can improve working memory, attention, and thinking skills in healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment. The stimulation targets deep brain structures without surgery, using special electrodes on the scalp. Researchers will use MRI scans to see how the brain responds, aiming to better understand memory problems and explore potential future treatments.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- non-invasive electrical brain stimulation (transcranial temporal interference stimulation)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new, non-invasive way to improve memory and attention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 70 participants, focused on understanding brain activity rather than proving a treatment works. The effects may be small or not translate to real-world benefits.
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 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
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 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * normal cognitive performance as assessed by a cognitive screening for healthy subjects * possible or probable MCI-LB or with PD-MCI, collectively called MCI-LBD, described as: presence of PD , and level II criteria for MCI (i.e. based on comprehensive neuropsychological examination), or the level II criteria for MCI , and at least two of four core DLB features including parkinsonism, visual hallucinations, attention/cognitive function fluctuation, and REM sleep behavioral disorder, or at least 1 core clinical feature and 1 indicative biomarker (probable MCI-LB). Exclusion Criteria: * Psychiatric disorders including major depression, major vascular lesions, or other brain pathologies that might present with cognitive decline.
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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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CEITEC Masaryk University
RECRUITINGBrno, 612 00, Czechia
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