Recruiting

tACS

Sponsor:

Boston University Charles River Campus

Code:

NCT07461584

Conditions

Aging

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Memory

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

1-day patterned tACS

3-day patterned tACS

5-day patterned tACS

1-day continuous tACS

3-day continuous tACS

Study Details

Brief summary:

This project optimizes high-resolution transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) to improve memory in healthy older adults, advancing drug-free approaches for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD). We test stimulation schedules and develop an adaptive, brain-guided tACS system to strengthen memory-supporting networks.

Conditions

Aging

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Memory

Study ID

NCT07461584

Start date

Jun 1, 2026

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Jan 31, 2031

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 31, 2031

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 65 years of age or older
  • normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • color vision

Exclusion Criteria:

  • pregnant
  • metal implants in head
  • implanted electronic devices
  • history of neurological problems or head injury
  • skin sensitivity
  • claustrophobia
  • dementia (normal Montreal Cognitive Assessment > 25)
  • depression (normal Geriatric Depression Scale < 10)
  • history of psychosis
  • cognitive deficits (MoCA>25)
  • any psychoactive medication

Study Design

Enrollment

240 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: 1-day patterned tACS

experimental: 3-day patterned tACS

experimental: 5-day patterned tACS

experimental: 1-day continuous tACS

experimental: 3-day continuous tACS

experimental: 5-day continuous tACS

Interventions

1-day patterned tACS

Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.

3-day patterned tACS

Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.

5-day patterned tACS

Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.

1-day continuous tACS

Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.

3-day continuous tACS

Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.

5-day continuous tACS

Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.

Primary outcome measure

  • Visual working memory capacity measured behaviorally [ Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week after intervention, 1-month after intervention ]
  • Interruption suppression measured behaviorally [ Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week after intervention, 1-month after intervention ]
  • EEG phase locking value (PLV) during working memory retention [ Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week after intervention, 1-month after intervention ]
  • EEG phase amplitude coupling (PAC) during working memory retention [ Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week after intervention, 1-month after intervention ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Robert Reinhart, PhD

(617) 353-9481rmgr@bu.edu

Locations

111 Cummington Mall

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215

Contacts

Robert Reinhart, PhD

617-353-9481rmgr@bu.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Boston University Charles River Campus

Last update posted

Jul 22, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Boston University Charles River Campus on 2026-07-22.