Pink noise at night may boost memory in early Alzheimer's
NCT ID NCT04570761
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested whether playing a gentle sound called 'pink noise' during deep sleep could strengthen memory in people with early Alzheimer's disease. Nineteen participants wore a special headband that delivered the noise on some nights and not on others. The goal was to see if the noise helped them recall word pairs better the next morning.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pink noise delivered via a Dreem headband
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, non-invasive way to help people with Alzheimer's remember better by improving sleep-related memory consolidation.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early proof-of-concept study with only 19 participants. The results may not apply to everyone, and the effect on memory might be small or not last long.
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
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19 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2021
- Finished
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Mar 2024
- 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 years and older
- 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 common to all participants: * Age\> 50 years at the inclusion * Patient with regular sleep patterns * Patient having given written consent * Patient affiliated to a social security regimen Inclusion criteria for subjects with Alzheimer's disease: * Patient with a beginning Alzheimer's disease defined according to the criteria of the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association or carriers of a prodromal Alzheimer's disease defined according to the criteria of the International Working Group IWG-2; the diagnosis must be supported by brain imaging and a blood test carried out in routine care * MMSE score ≥ 24 Inclusion criteria for healthy volunteers: * Absence of neurodegenerative pathologies * Matched in age (+/- 5 years) and in sex with a patient Non-inclusion criteria common to all participants: * Psychiatric pathologies (except depression or anxiety disorders stabilized for more than 3 months) * History of pathology which may have consequences on cognitive functioning and / or sleep: brain tumor, constituted stroke, epilepsy, head trauma (with clinical or parenchymal sequelae objectified on brain imagery), brain surgery * Any significant comorbidity likely to constitute a confounding factor according to the clinician * Psychotropic treatments introduced or modified \<3 months before inclusion * Hypnotic and / or sedative treatments * Chronic consumption of alcohol or drugs * Legal incapacity and / or other circumstance rendering the patient unable to understand the nature, objective or consequences of the study * Major under guardianship or curatorship * Patient not French-speaking by birth or illiterate Exclusion Criteria common to all participants: * Sleep disorders defined by a score\> 5 on the Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI) * A score\> 10 on the Epworth sleepiness index
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University Hospital of Tours
Tours, 37044, France
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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