Patient-Centered NeuroRehabilitation (PCN)

NCT ID: NCT03036319

Last Updated: 2026-01-14

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

500 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-06-30

Study Completion Date

2027-11-30

Brief Summary

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As individuals grow older, a number of factors can reduce our cognitive (or thinking) abilities such as "normal" aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular disease. This study will evaluate whether cognitive rehabilitation and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) can improve cognitive abilities. Cognitive rehabilitation refers to methods that are used to improve tasks people have trouble doing in everyday life. Transcranial electrical stimulation uses small amounts of electricity to try to alter brain functioning. These approaches may help improve cognitive abilities like attention, learning, memory, finding words, and problem solving as well as everyday functioning. The goal of this study is to identify how to best use these methods, either alone or in combination.

Detailed Description

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The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a neurorehabilitation treatment tailored to individual patient needs, with the ultimate goal of maximizing cognitive and real-world functioning for older adults with cognitive aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), neurodegenerative, or other neurological diseases/conditions.

Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is a non-invasive, neurorehabilitation procedure in which a weak electric current is passed between electrodes that are placed on the scalp with the intention of modulating excitability of the underlying brain regions. Because the field of TES is relatively young, rapidly evolving, and primarily focused on cognitive neuroscience with "healthy" individuals, there is a clear need for well-conceptualized and conducted clinical research. The current protocol is intentionally broad with respect to both methodology and patient characteristics in order to tailor potential TES interventions to individual patients or small samples. The current protocol utilizes various forms of TES including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), alternating current stimulation (tACS), and random noise stimulation (tRNS) and sham stimulation in older adults. As this is a cross-over design, some participants may receive active (or "real") TES and/or sham TES conditions.This includes head to head comparisons of the different forms of TES. Additionally, TES could be performed in conjunction with cognitively-based intervention since this may enhance the neuroplastic response of the targeted brain region(s) while at the same time shaping/optimizing the pathways that are engaged by cognitively-based interventions. This broad approach is important since etiological differences in cognitive impairment may necessitate distinct interventions.

Conditions

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Cognitive Deficit

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Given the nature of this study, the participant, care provider, investigator, and/or outcome assessors may or may not be blinded to the treatment condition.

Study Groups

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Active TES

Participants will receive "real" tES (tDCS, tACS, tRNS) in which they receive up to 4 milliamps (mA) of stimulation per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions. As this may be a cross-over design, some participants may receive active and sham conditions.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active tDCS at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions.

Active tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial alternating current stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Active tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial random noise stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Sham TES

Participants undergoing this condition will have the exact same procedures as the active group, with the exception that they will receive only sham stimulation for up to 260 sessions.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Sham tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham tDCS for up to 260 sessions

Sham tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial alternating current stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Sham tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial random noise stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Cognitively based intervention

Participants may receive a cognitively based intervention that targets the particular cognitive and/or functional abilities of interest. This includes methods of cognitive training, cognitive remediation, and cognitive rehabilitation.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitively based intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants may receive a cognitively based intervention that targets the particular cognitive and/or functional abilities of interest. This includes methods of cognitive training, cognitive remediation, and cognitive rehabilitation for up to 260 sessions

Active TES + Cognitively based intervention

This condition combines active TES and cognitively based interventions for some or all of the study sessions

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active tDCS at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions.

Cognitively based intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants may receive a cognitively based intervention that targets the particular cognitive and/or functional abilities of interest. This includes methods of cognitive training, cognitive remediation, and cognitive rehabilitation for up to 260 sessions

Active tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial alternating current stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Active tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial random noise stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Sham TES + Cognitively based intervention

This condition combines sham TES and cognitively based interventions for some or all of the study sessions

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Sham tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham tDCS for up to 260 sessions

Cognitively based intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants may receive a cognitively based intervention that targets the particular cognitive and/or functional abilities of interest. This includes methods of cognitive training, cognitive remediation, and cognitive rehabilitation for up to 260 sessions

Sham tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial alternating current stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Sham tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial random noise stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Active TES, Sham TES, Cognitively based interventions

This condition combines active and sham TES with cognitively based interventions using a cross-over design

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active tDCS at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions.

Sham tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham tDCS for up to 260 sessions

Cognitively based intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants may receive a cognitively based intervention that targets the particular cognitive and/or functional abilities of interest. This includes methods of cognitive training, cognitive remediation, and cognitive rehabilitation for up to 260 sessions

Active tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial alternating current stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Sham tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial alternating current stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Active tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial random noise stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Sham tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial random noise stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Active and Sham TES

Participants will receive active and sham TES

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active tDCS at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions.

Sham tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham tDCS for up to 260 sessions

Active tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial alternating current stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Sham tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial alternating current stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Active tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive active transcranial random noise stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Sham tRNS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive sham transcranial random noise stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Interventions

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Active tDCS

Participants will receive active tDCS at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham tDCS

Participants will receive sham tDCS for up to 260 sessions

Intervention Type DEVICE

Cognitively based intervention

Participants may receive a cognitively based intervention that targets the particular cognitive and/or functional abilities of interest. This includes methods of cognitive training, cognitive remediation, and cognitive rehabilitation for up to 260 sessions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Active tACS

Participants will receive active transcranial alternating current stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham tACS

Participants will receive sham transcranial alternating current stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Intervention Type DEVICE

Active tRNS

Participants will receive active transcranial random noise stimulation at up to 4mA per electrode for up to 40 minutes for up to 260 sessions

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham tRNS

Participants will receive sham transcranial random noise stimulation for up to 260 sessions

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Individuals who have reported cognitive dysfunction and cognitively intact participants.
2. Participants will be age 50 or older

Exclusion Criteria

1. A history of epilepsy
2. Sensory or motor impairments that limit the ability to take part in the study
3. Current alcohol or drug abuse/dependence
4. Those who are currently pregnant or may become pregnant during the duration of the study (if there is a question of pregnancy, pregnancy tests will be available for participants at no charge)

Those who are being evaluated for TES methodology will also be excluded for 1) metallic or electronic implant 2) skull plates or other cranial implants that affect TES
Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Michigan

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Benjamin Hampstead, PhD

Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Benjamin M Hampstead, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Michigan

Locations

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University of Michigan - Department of Psychiatry

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Kayla Rinna, M.S.

Role: CONTACT

734-936-7739

Eileen Robinson, RN, MPH

Role: CONTACT

734-763-1356

Facility Contacts

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Victor DiRita, B.S.

Role: primary

734-936-0985

Kayla Rinna, M.S.

Role: backup

734-936-7739

Other Identifiers

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HUM00111090

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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