Effects and Mechanisms of Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation on Memory Function in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

NCT ID: NCT07031687

Last Updated: 2025-08-15

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

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1200 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-07-01

Study Completion Date

2029-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if personalized, multimodal imaging-guided, EEG-based closed-loop Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation (TIBS) can improve memory function in individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does personalized TIBS lead to significant changes in functional connectivity strength of hippocampal-cortical networks at the end of the 2-week intervention compared to baseline?
2. What are the short-term (end of 2-week intervention) and medium-to-long-term (4 weeks and 12 weeks post-intervention) effects of personalized TIBS on episodic and working memory, as well as other cognitive domains in preclinical AD?
3. How does personalized TIBS modulate brain activity and connectivity, as measured by EEG power spectra and functional MRI (fMRI) functional connectivity, in preclinical AD?
4. What is the safety profile of personalized TIBS in this population?

Researchers will compare participants receiving active personalized TIBS to participants receiving sham (inactive) stimulation to see if TIBS effectively improves memory function and induces neural plasticity.

Participants will:

1. Undergo initial screening including neuropsychological assessments and blood p-tau217 testing to identify preclinical AD.
2. Receive either active personalized TIBS or sham stimulation daily for 40 minutes, 6 days a week, for 2 weeks.
3. Have individualized TIBS parameters (e.g., target localization, intensity) determined using baseline structural MRI and DTI.
4. Undergo real-time high-density EEG monitoring during daily stimulation sessions to enable closed-loop adjustment of stimulation parameters.
5. Participate in follow-up assessments at the end of the 2-week intervention, and at 4 weeks and 12 weeks post-intervention.
6. Receive multimodal imaging (sMRI, rs-fMRI, task-fMRI, DTI) and blood biomarker assessments at various time points.
7. Receive Aβ-PET and tau-PET scans, along with comprehensive neuropsychological assessments, at the 12-week follow-up.
8. Have their safety continuously monitored throughout the study.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Alzheimer Disease

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Personalized Closed-Loop Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation

Participants in this arm will receive active TIBS targeted at the bilateral hippocampus. Stimulation parameters include a 5 Hz (Theta band) low-frequency modulation envelope, generated by two high-frequency current pairs (e.g., f1=2000 Hz, f2=2005 Hz). Peak-to-peak current intensity for each pair will be 2 mA (or 1 mA per electrode). Stimulation will be delivered daily for 40 minutes, 6 days/week, for a total of 2 weeks. Individualized targeting and initial intensity optimization will be guided by baseline sMRI and DTI. Real-time high-density EEG monitoring during each daily session (D2-D11) will provide feedback on brain activity (e.g., EEG power spectra, functional connectivity features) to enable closed-loop optimization of transcranial stimulation intensity and phase parameters.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active TIBS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants receive active TIBS targeted at the bilateral hippocampus. Stimulation parameters include a 5 Hz (Theta band) low-frequency modulation envelope, generated by two high-frequency current pairs (e.g., f1=2000 Hz, f2=2005 Hz). Peak-to-peak current intensity for each pair will be 2 mA (or 1 mA per electrode). Stimulation is delivered daily for 40 minutes, 6 days/week, for a total of 2 weeks. Individualized targeting and initial intensity optimization are guided by baseline sMRI and DTI. Real-time high-density EEG monitoring during each daily session (D2-D11) provides feedback on brain activity

Sham Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation

Participants in this arm will receive sham stimulation designed to mimic the sensation of active TIBS without therapeutic output. This will involve using a sham coil or a device mode with extremely low current intensity (e.g., 0.1-0.2 mA) or brief ramp-up/ramp-down sensations at the beginning and end of sessions, with no effective current delivery during the main stimulation period. The stimulation position and apparent parameters will be identical to the active TIBS group to maintain blinding.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham TIBS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants receive sham stimulation designed to mimic the sensation of active TIBS without therapeutic output. This involves using a sham coil or a device mode with extremely low current intensity (e.g., 0.1-0.2 mA) or brief ramp-up/ramp-down sensations at the beginning and end of sessions, with no effective current delivery during the main stimulation period. The stimulation position and apparent parameters are identical to the active TIBS group to maintain blinding.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Active TIBS

Participants receive active TIBS targeted at the bilateral hippocampus. Stimulation parameters include a 5 Hz (Theta band) low-frequency modulation envelope, generated by two high-frequency current pairs (e.g., f1=2000 Hz, f2=2005 Hz). Peak-to-peak current intensity for each pair will be 2 mA (or 1 mA per electrode). Stimulation is delivered daily for 40 minutes, 6 days/week, for a total of 2 weeks. Individualized targeting and initial intensity optimization are guided by baseline sMRI and DTI. Real-time high-density EEG monitoring during each daily session (D2-D11) provides feedback on brain activity

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham TIBS

Participants receive sham stimulation designed to mimic the sensation of active TIBS without therapeutic output. This involves using a sham coil or a device mode with extremely low current intensity (e.g., 0.1-0.2 mA) or brief ramp-up/ramp-down sensations at the beginning and end of sessions, with no effective current delivery during the main stimulation period. The stimulation position and apparent parameters are identical to the active TIBS group to maintain blinding.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Individuals recruited from neurology memory clinics or communities.
* Age between 60 and 80 years old, inclusive; no gender limitation.
* Right-handed.
* Cognitive function test results within normal range after age, gender, and education-level adjustment, OR mild cognitive impairment not yet meeting diagnostic criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), OR only subjective cognitive decline.
* Individuals classified as preclinical AD based on the revised 2024 AD diagnostic and staging criteria (i.e., cognitively normal with positive plasma p-tau217 or positive Aβ PET).
* Full understanding of the study, voluntary participation, and provision of written informed consent approved by the Ethics Committee.

Exclusion Criteria

* Past or present neurological diseases (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis).
* Psychiatric disorders such as severe depression or severe anxiety.
* Systemic diseases causing cognitive decline (e.g., severe thyroid dysfunction, severe liver or kidney disease, severe nutritional deficiencies).
* Currently taking medications that may affect cognitive function (e.g., anticholinergics, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics) that cannot be discontinued or adjusted.
* Other factors leading to cognitive decline that are not AD-related.
* Contraindications for MRI scans, such as claustrophobia, implanted metallic devices (e.g., pacemakers, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips), or history of head injury with retained metal fragments.
Minimum Eligible Age

60 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Ying Han

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Ying Han, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Hainan university

Sanya, Hainan, China

Site Status RECRUITING

Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University

Beijing, , China

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

China

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Ying Han, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+86 13621011941

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Hao Wang, PhD

Role: primary

+86 18512810570

Ying Han, PhD

Role: primary

+86 13621011941

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Lv X, Cheng Z, Wang Q, Gao F, Dai L, Du C, Liu C, Xie Q, Shen Y, Shi J; China Aging and Neurodegenerative Initiative (CANDI) Consortium. High burdens of phosphorylated tau protein and distinct precuneus atrophy in sporadic early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Sci Bull (Beijing). 2023 Nov 30;68(22):2817-2826. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.10.019. Epub 2023 Oct 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37919158 (View on PubMed)

Chen Q, Chen F, Long C, Zhu Y, Jiang Y, Zhu Z, Lu J, Zhang X, Nedelska Z, Hort J, Zhang B. Spatial navigation is associated with subcortical alterations and progression risk in subjective cognitive decline. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2023 Apr 25;15(1):86. doi: 10.1186/s13195-023-01233-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37098612 (View on PubMed)

Zhao K, Wang D, Wang D, Chen P, Wei Y, Tu L, Chen Y, Tang Y, Yao H, Zhou B, Lu J, Wang P, Liao Z, Chen Y, Han Y, Zhang X, Liu Y. Macroscale connectome topographical structure reveals the biomechanisms of brain dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. Sci Adv. 2024 Oct 11;10(41):eado8837. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado8837. Epub 2024 Oct 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39392880 (View on PubMed)

Violante IR, Alania K, Cassara AM, Neufeld E, Acerbo E, Carron R, Williamson A, Kurtin DL, Rhodes E, Hampshire A, Kuster N, Boyden ES, Pascual-Leone A, Grossman N. Non-invasive temporal interference electrical stimulation of the human hippocampus. Nat Neurosci. 2023 Nov;26(11):1994-2004. doi: 10.1038/s41593-023-01456-8. Epub 2023 Oct 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37857775 (View on PubMed)

Vassiliadis P, Beanato E, Popa T, Windel F, Morishita T, Neufeld E, Duque J, Derosiere G, Wessel MJ, Hummel FC. Non-invasive stimulation of the human striatum disrupts reinforcement learning of motor skills. Nat Hum Behav. 2024 Aug;8(8):1581-1598. doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-01901-z. Epub 2024 May 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38811696 (View on PubMed)

Beanato E, Moon HJ, Windel F, Vassiliadis P, Wessel MJ, Popa T, Pauline M, Neufeld E, De Falco E, Gauthier B, Steiner M, Blanke O, Hummel FC. Noninvasive modulation of the hippocampal-entorhinal complex during spatial navigation in humans. Sci Adv. 2024 Nov;10(44):eado4103. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado4103. Epub 2024 Oct 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39475597 (View on PubMed)

Grossman N, Bono D, Dedic N, Kodandaramaiah SB, Rudenko A, Suk HJ, Cassara AM, Neufeld E, Kuster N, Tsai LH, Pascual-Leone A, Boyden ES. Noninvasive Deep Brain Stimulation via Temporally Interfering Electric Fields. Cell. 2017 Jun 1;169(6):1029-1041.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.024.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28575667 (View on PubMed)

Jack CR Jr, Andrews JS, Beach TG, Buracchio T, Dunn B, Graf A, Hansson O, Ho C, Jagust W, McDade E, Molinuevo JL, Okonkwo OC, Pani L, Rafii MS, Scheltens P, Siemers E, Snyder HM, Sperling R, Teunissen CE, Carrillo MC. Revised criteria for diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer's disease: Alzheimer's Association Workgroup. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Aug;20(8):5143-5169. doi: 10.1002/alz.13859. Epub 2024 Jun 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38934362 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

TIBS_hanying_0605

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

ITBS in MCI and Mild AD
NCT06670820 NOT_YET_RECRUITING NA