Electric brain stimulation tested for memory loss in seniors
NCT ID NCT05998031
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a mild electrical current applied to the scalp (tDCS) can improve working memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Researchers will compare the effects of real tDCS versus a sham (fake) version in 110 participants aged 60-95. The goal is to understand how tDCS affects brain activity and memory, not to provide a treatment.
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)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to boost memory in people with mild cognitive impairment.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early mechanistic study, not a treatment trial. It may not show clear memory benefits, and any effects might be small or temporary.
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 110 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2029
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 95 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria * Age 60-95 years * Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score 18 and above (scores will be adjusted for education) * Able to receive electrical stimulation * Ability to comprehend conversational voices * Adequate motor capacity to operate computer mouse and click-button in-scanner * Ability to participate in the intervention and attend training sessions Exclusion Criteria * Failure to provide informed consent * Contraindications to MRI recording (e.g., any kind of ferrous metallic stents or ferrous metal objects in the body, heart valve prosthesis, or other metal implants, claustrophobia, neurostimulation system, defibrillator, pacemaker, or other implanted device) * Left-handed, or left hand dominant * History of neurological, seizures, and psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injury, incidence of stroke involving large vessel * Terminal illness with life expectancy less than 12 months, as determined by physician * Brain tumor or malformation or any foreign body known or previously identified in brain * Cancer in active treatment, besides skin cancer * Currently on GABAergic or glutamatergic medications, or on calcium or sodium channel blockers, which alter or block the ability of tDCS to facilitate tissue excitability * Unable to communicate because of severe hearing loss or speech disorder * Severe sensory impairment * Inability to communicate in English * Severe visual impairment, which would preclude completion of the assessment and/or intervention * No physical impairment precluding motor response or lying still for an hour in the scanner that could confound study findings * Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms as defined by scoring 10 or above on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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University of Florida
RECRUITINGGainesville, Florida, 32610, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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