Could a headset boost brainpower in teens with a rare genetic condition?
NCT ID NCT05664412
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle brain stimulation technique called tACS, used at home for 5 days a week over 4 weeks, can improve memory and thinking in 40 young people aged 14-25 with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. The stimulation is personalized based on each participant's MRI and EEG results. The main goal is to check safety and tolerability, with a secondary focus on whether it helps working memory.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) via a home device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a safe, at-home way to boost memory and thinking skills in young people with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, potentially delaying or preventing later psychotic symptoms.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial (40 people) focused mainly on safety. The cognitive benefits are unproven, and the stimulation may cause mild side effects like headache or tingling. Results may not apply to everyone.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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14 to 25 years
- 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: * Confirmed genetic diagnosis of 22q11DS * Age between 14 and 25 years old * Willingness to participate * Informed Consent signed by the subject and/or the caregiver(s) Exclusion Criteria: * Epilepsy * Deep brain stimulation electrodes * Traumatic brain injury * Facial metal implants
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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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University of Geneva
RECRUITINGGeneva, Canton of Geneva, 1200, Switzerland
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Intensive brain training shows promise for kids with developmental delays
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