Could a Head-Zap gadget tame Alzheimer's agitation?
NCT ID NCT05478681
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This small study tested whether a home-use brain stimulation device (tDCS) is safe and acceptable for people with Alzheimer's who have behavioral symptoms like agitation or apathy. Only 3 participants completed the trial, with caregivers helping to set up the device. The main goals were to see if people would use it and if side effects were manageable.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a safe, at-home way to reduce troubling behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's patients.
- What could go wrong
- This was a tiny pilot study with only 3 participants, so results may not apply to others. tDCS can cause side effects like itching, headache, or dizziness.
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
-
3 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Apr 2023
- Finished
-
Feb 2024
- 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
-
60 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * have ADRD and clinically-meaningful behavioral symptoms * have a caregiver willing to participate in the study * can speak and read English * have stable doses of medications for at least one month Exclusion Criteria: * any unstable concurrent medical conditions * history of brain surgery * seizure * intracranial metal implantation * current alcohol/substance use disorder
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Alzheimer disease are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
-
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a massive data registry crack the code of Parkinson's and related brain diseases?
- Can a gentle electric current calm the mind in Alzheimer's?
- Alzheimer's vaccine aims to clear amyloid before memory fades
- Blood, eye, and brain scans team up to spot Alzheimer's earlier
- Can a home device slow Alzheimer's? pilot study tests pulsed electromagnetic therapy
- Eye scans as a window to the body: study probes retinal imaging across diseases