Recruiting
Early Phase 1

rTMS

Sponsor:

Massachusetts General Hospital

Code:

NCT06538311

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Logopenic Progressive Aphasia

Amnestic Symptoms

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Active rTMS

Sham rTMS

Study Details

Brief summary:

In this research study we want to learn more about the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on memory and brain-network function in cognitively unimpaired older adults and in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

This study will use a form of non-invasive brain stimulation called repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). rTMS will slightly alter activity in an area of your brain that controls memory. Changes resulting from this stimulation will be measured with behavioral tests of memory and general cognition, as well as by taking images of your brain with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Participants will come in for one baseline visit followed by 10 days of daily rTMS study visits (Monday through Friday) and an evaluation visit. Then, there will be a 2-week break. After this break, they will return for another baseline visit, an additional 10 days of rTMS, and a final evaluation visit.

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Logopenic Progressive Aphasia

Amnestic Symptoms

Study ID

NCT06538311

Start date

May 1, 2023

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Mar 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Between the ages of 40-99
2. Native English speakers
3. Willing and able to consent to the protocol and undergo imaging and neuropsychological testing at the specified time points
4. Patients with PPA will be asked to bring a study partner to all visits
5. Patients with very mild or mild PPA, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and cognitively unimpaired participants with preclinical AD will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of head trauma involving loss of consciousness or alteration in consciousness
2. Another major neurologic or psychiatric condition
3. Known presence of a structural brain lesion (e.g. tumor, cortical infarct)
4. Any contraindication to MRI, such as presence of pacemakers, aneurysm clips, artificial heart valves, ear implants, metal fragments, or foreign objects in the eyes, skin, or body
5. Longstanding premorbid history (i.e. longer than 10 years) of alcohol or substance abuse with continuous abuse up to and including the time that the symptoms leading to clinical presentation developed
6. Any significant systemic illness or unstable medical condition which could lead to difficulty complying with the study protocol.
7. Unwilling to return for follow-up, undergo neuropsychological testing, TMS, and MR imaging
8. History of unprovoked seizures (i.e., seizures that occur in the absence of a clear provocation such as hyponatremia, hypoglycemia, etc.).
9. Subjects who have a first degree relative (e.g., father, mother or sibling) with a seizure disorder.
10. Subjects currently taking, or plan to take, medications which are highly epileptogenic. These include: clozapine, high doses of bupropion (i.e., greater than 400mg daily), diphenhydramine, cyclosporine, isoniazid, imipenem, chloroquine, tramadol and theophylline.
11. Subjects actively on anti-amyloid treatments. This is because they are at risk for bleeding due to amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) that could provoke seizures.

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: AD, aMCI, lvPPA patients, and preclinical AD

All participants will receive the same study interventions in a within-subject crossover design.

Interventions

Active rTMS

All study participants will receive one block of ACTIVE rTMS. Each block will consist of daily sessions of active rTMS delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex over ten days (Monday through Friday).

Sham rTMS

All study participants will receive one block of SHAM rTMS. Each block will consist of daily sessions of SHAM rTMS delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex over ten days (Monday through Friday).

Primary outcome measure

  • Changes in Memory [ Time Frame: Baseline and post-treatment Day 11 ]
  • Changes in Brain Network Connectivity [ Time Frame: Baseline and post-treatment Day 11 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02129

Contacts

Alexandra Touroutoglou, PhD

atouroutoglou@mgh.harvard.edu

Principal Investigator:

Alexandra Touroutoglou, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Last update posted

May 6, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Massachusetts General Hospital on 2026-05-06.