Zapping the brain to sleep: new trial tests gentle electrical waves for insomnia in seniors
NCT ID NCT07147582
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle, non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can improve sleep and reduce anxiety in adults over 60 who have chronic insomnia. Sixty participants will receive tACS sessions, and researchers will measure changes in sleep quality and anxiety levels using standard questionnaires. The goal is to find a safe, drug-free option for common age-related sleep and mood problems.
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)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to improve sleep and reduce anxiety in older adults.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants. The treatment is non-invasive and generally safe, but results may not apply to everyone with sleep or anxiety disorders.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Nov 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 years and older
- 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: -healthy elderly adult aged more than 60 years old, both sex, and suffering from insomnia and sleep disorders Exclusion Criteria: * neurological and vascular diseases.
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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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Cairo University
Cairo, Egypt
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