Memory Enhancement in Aging With Closed-Loop tACS
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Peak Frequency, Phase Lag, Peak Frequency + Phase Lag, Non-Adpative.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Aging, Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Memory. Basic parameters: from 65 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Personalized Memory Enhancement in Aging: Pattern-Optimized tACS With Closed-Loop Precision Modulation
Overview
This project optimizes high-resolution tACS to improve memory in healthy older adults, advancing drug-free approaches for ADRD. We test stimulation schedules and develop an adaptive, brain-guided tACS system to strengthen memory-supporting networks.
Detailed description
Cognitive decline, especially in memory and executive control, poses an escalating public health challenge as the population ages, contributing to loss of independence, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare costs associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Despite decades of research, there are few effective, non-pharmacological interventions capable of slowing or reversing these cognitive losses. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has recently emerged as a promising, safe, and non-invasive technique for modulating neural rhythms that support memory. However, existing approaches remain limited by one-size-fits-all stimulation schedules that fail to account for individual brain connectivity patterns or dynamic fluctuations in cognitive state.
This project aims to advance precision neuromodulation for cognitive aging by optimizing and personalizing high-resolution tACS protocols to enhance memory in older adults. Building on strong pilot data demonstrating the feasibility of personalized and adaptive stimulation, we will use multimodal imaging (EEG and fMRI) to track changes in frontotemporal synchrony, specifically theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling and theta phase synchronization, that are known to support memory formation and retrieval.
Aim 2 will develop and test a connectivity-guided closed-loop tACS system that continuously monitors neural synchronization in the frontotemporal network and adjusts stimulation parameters in real time. This adaptive framework is designed to tailor stimulation to each participant's evolving brain state, enabling more efficient and individualized cognitive enhancement than static approaches.
By integrating behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging measures with adaptive control algorithms, this research will identify reliable biomarkers of responsiveness, elucidate causal mechanisms linking neural synchrony to memory, and yield a new class of personalized, connectivity-guided interventions for cognitive decline. The findings will lay a foundation for scalable, non-invasive, and mechanism-driven treatments for ADRD and age-related memory loss, advancing the broader NIH mission of promoting healthy cognitive aging.
Interventions
- Device Peak Frequency
Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp tailored to individual peak frequency with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability. - Device Phase Lag
Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp tailored to individual phase lag with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability. - Device Peak Frequency + Phase Lag
Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp tailored to individual peak frequency and phase lag with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability. - Device Non-Adpative
Device: High definition transcranial electrical current stimulation Low-intensity, noninvasive application of electrical current to the human scalp not tailored to individual peak frequency or phase lag with the goal of modulating levels of neuronal excitability.
Primary outcome measures
- EEG phase locking value (PLV) during working memory retention [Time frame: Baseline, Day 2]
- Interruption suppression measured behaviorally [Time frame: Baseline, Day 2]
- EEG phase amplitude coupling (PAC) during working memory retention [Time frame: Baseline, Day 2]
Eligibility criteria
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
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07722598 · 4230E_4