Recruiting

rTMS

Sponsor:

University of Nebraska

Code:

NCT03574207

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Memory Loss

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 19+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Study Details

Brief summary:

This is a pilot study of non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to improve memory in healthy adults. It will also examine treating memory deficits in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a condition that frequently precedes Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study will test whether a form of non-invasive brain stimulation repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve memory abilities in healthy young adults, healthy older adults, and older adults with aMCI by retuning memory-related brain networks. This study is a key first step which will support the long-term goal of treating memory deficits in neurological patients. It is expected that rTMS will improve memory abilities in all participants, and that the improvements in memory will be attributable to changes in the connectivity of memory-related brain networks.

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Memory Loss

Study ID

NCT03574207

Start date

Jan 1, 2019

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 19+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

The investigators anticipate enrolling 48 subjects total:

  • 16 healthy young adults (age 19-35)
  • 16 healthy older adults (demographically matched to aMCI group for age, sex, and educational attainment)
  • 16 older adults diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI)

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adults 19 years of age and older
2. Healthy adults without history of psychiatric or neurological disease OR previous diagnosis of amnestic MCI
3. Must be able to provide informed consent
4. Must have the ability to comply with basic instructions and have the ability to sit comfortably still for TMS, neuroimaging, and other study procedures.
5. Right-handed based on self-report (pre-screening) and evaluation with a standard test.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Individuals who have ferrous metal implanted in their body (other than in their teeth) or any other non-removable medical and/or metallic implant
2. Individuals who have increased intracranial pressure
3. Individuals who have any major medical illness (e.g., cancer, HIV+, hepatitis, heart disease)
4. Individuals who have confounding/dual diagnoses (e.g., comorbid mental illness and substance use disorder)
5. Individuals with current diagnoses of alcohol or substance abuse/dependence
6. Individuals with epilepsy, any history of seizures, or using medication that lowers seizure threshold
7. Individuals with any neurological disorder other than aMCI (e.g., stroke, traumatic brain injury)
8. Pregnant females --- as determined by urine pregnancy test --- will be excluded from this study due to uncertainty of the effects of MRI and TMS on the fetus
9. Not right-handed based on self-report (pre-screening) or evaluation with a standard test
10. Not a native English speaker.

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

other: Arm A: Stimulation then Sham

All procedures are identical in both arms with the exception of the order of stimulation administration. In Arm A, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be applied in the first week of participation, and sham stimulation will be applied in the second week of participation.

other: Arm B: Sham then Stimulation

All procedures are identical in both arms with the exception of the order of stimulation administration. In Arm B, sham stimulation will be applied in the first week of participation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be applied in the second week of participation.

Interventions

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation non-invasively applies very small amounts of electrical current to brain tissue; sham stimulation uses the same approach but applies little or no actual stimulation to the brain by using less power or greater distance between the head and the stimulator.

Primary outcome measure

  • Changes in memory performance measured with the number of studied face-word associations recalled [ Time Frame: Potential changes will be assessed after each one-week rTMS treatment period. Results will be reported at the end of the study (approximately one year). ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Recruiting

Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198

Contacts

More Information

Sponsor

University of Nebraska

Last update posted

Mar 25, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Nebraska on 2026-03-25.