Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Alzheimer's Disease

Overseen By Thiago Macedo e Cordeiro, MD, MSc

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Disqualifiers: Unstable conditions, Epilepsy, Dementia, Suicidal risk, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 4

Duration: 5 weeks

24 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a device called a transcranial direct current stimulator to determine if it can improve mood in people with Alzheimer's Disease. Participants will receive either an active treatment, where a small electric current is applied for 30 minutes, or a sham treatment, where the current is only briefly turned on. The goal is to discover if this device can enhance mood and feelings in those with Alzheimer's. Ideal participants have a confirmed history of Alzheimer's symptoms and exhibit mild to moderate behavioral changes. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to groundbreaking research that could enhance mood treatments for Alzheimer's patients.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial requires that participants have stable doses of their medications for at least one month, so you should not stop taking your current medications if they are stable.

What prior data suggests that this device is safe for use in Alzheimer's patients?

Studies have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is generally safe for people. Research indicates that most side effects are mild and temporary, such as slight tingling or itching on the skin where the electrodes are placed. One study found that tDCS is well-tolerated, meaning people usually don't experience serious problems when using it.

While the FDA has not yet approved tDCS for treating Alzheimer's Disease, past research with Alzheimer's patients has explored its potential to improve memory and thinking skills. The evidence suggests it's a promising area of study. However, since not all side effects may be known, participants should report any new or unusual symptoms to the study team. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for Alzheimer's disease because it offers a non-invasive approach that directly stimulates the brain. Unlike traditional treatments that primarily focus on managing symptoms with medications like cholinesterase inhibitors or NMDA receptor antagonists, tDCS uses low electrical currents to potentially enhance cognitive function by altering brain activity. This method is painless and can be administered in short sessions, providing a unique, drug-free option that could complement or even enhance existing treatments.

What evidence suggests that this device is effective for Alzheimer's Disease?

Research has shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance thinking abilities in people with Alzheimer's Disease. In this trial, participants will receive either active tDCS treatment or sham tDCS treatment. Studies indicate that individuals with Alzheimer's experience greater cognitive improvement from tDCS compared to those with milder memory issues. A review of research found that tDCS boosts cognition more effectively than treatments without electrical stimulation. One study highlighted that anodal tDCS, a specific type of tDCS, is particularly beneficial. While not all studies agree on the extent of improvement tDCS provides, evidence suggests it can be a promising tool for aiding those with Alzheimer's Disease. ^{3 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Thiago Macedo e Cordeiro, MD, MSc

Principal Investigator

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals with Alzheimer's Disease who are interested in a study involving a device that delivers transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to see if it can improve mood or feelings. The specifics of who can join are not provided, but typically participants must meet certain health criteria.

Inclusion Criteria

I have someone who can be with me during my treatment sessions and help with surveys.

My condition is in the early or moderate stage according to the UHDRS scale.

I am between 18-85 years old with Huntington's disease symptoms or a family history.

Exclusion Criteria

Have risk of suicidal behavior, defined as any suicidal behavior or suicidal ideation of type 4 (active suicidal ideation with some intent to act, without specific plan) or type 5 (active suicidal ideation with specific plan and intent) based on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) in the 3 months prior to screening (Posner et al. 2011)

Being an active participant in other therapeutic clinical trial

I am considered unable to give consent for myself due to my health condition.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

1 visit (in-person)

Treatment

Participants receive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions at home, supervised remotely, with in-person visits for MRI and imaging.

5 weeks

3 visits (in-person), multiple remote sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment, including assessments of mood, anxiety, and cognitive function.

1 week

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Trial Overview The study is testing the effects of 30-minute sessions using a tDCS device, which is still investigational and not FDA-approved for treating Alzheimer's. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the actual tDCS or a sham (fake) treatment as part of the research.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Active TDCS treatment Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The active-tDCS treatment will consist of a constant 2mA current applied during 30-minute sessions with a 30 second ramp up and ramp down at the start and end of the stimulation.

Group II: Sham TDCS treatment Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Sham-tDCS treatment will consist of the same montage but the electric current will be applied only in the first and final 30s of stimulation.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Lead Sponsor

Trials

486

Recruited

92,500+

Alzheimer's Association

Collaborator

Trials

103

Recruited

44,300+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study involving 10 patients with Alzheimer's disease, anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (AtDCS) significantly improved recognition memory performance, while cathodal tDCS (CtDCS) led to a decline in performance.

tDCS is shown to be a safe and inexpensive method that could enhance cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients, suggesting potential for further research on its use alongside other treatments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Transcranial direct current stimulation improves recognition memory in Alzheimer disease. Ferrucci, R., Mameli, F., Guidi, I., et al.[2022]

In a study involving 34 Alzheimer's disease patients, both anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) significantly improved cognitive function as measured by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) compared to sham stimulation.

tDCS also reduced the P300 latency, a measure associated with cognitive processing, indicating potential benefits in neurorehabilitation for Alzheimer's patients, although it did not affect motor cortex excitability.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A double-blind randomized clinical trial on the efficacy of cortical direct current stimulation for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Khedr, EM., Gamal, NF., El-Fetoh, NA., et al.[2022]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) significantly improved cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, based on a meta-analysis of seven studies involving 146 patients, with a standardized mean difference of 0.37.

Single sessions of tDCS were effective, particularly when stimulating the temporal cortex, while repeated sessions and lower current densities did not show significant benefits, highlighting the need for careful consideration of treatment parameters.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Cognitive Function in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Disease: A Meta-Analysis. Cai, M., Guo, Z., Xing, G., et al.[2020]

A systematic review of 64 studies involving 2262 participants found that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has a low dropout rate (6% for active and 7.2% for sham), indicating good acceptability among participants.

Despite the low dropout rates, many studies inadequately reported adverse events (AEs), highlighting a need for improved guidelines to standardize AE reporting in tDCS research.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Systematic Review on the Acceptability and Tolerability of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Treatment in Neuropsychiatry Trials. Aparício, LVM., Guarienti, F., Razza, LB., et al.[2018]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe and noninvasive method that shows promise in treating cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

The review highlights the need for further large-scale clinical trials to better understand the mechanisms of tDCS and improve its application in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Potential of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Alzheimer's Disease: Optimizing Trials Toward Clinical Use. Pilloni, G., Charvet, LE., Bikson, M., et al.[2022]

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) significantly improved cognitive performance in healthy elderly individuals by increasing neural activity, as evidenced by enhanced P200 and P300 amplitudes during a working memory task.

Cathodal tDCS also showed potential benefits for Alzheimer's disease patients, increasing P200 amplitude and frontal theta activity, suggesting that tDCS can modulate neural function differently based on the individual's cognitive state.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Behavioural and electrophysiological modulations induced by transcranial direct current stimulation in healthy elderly and Alzheimer's disease patients: A pilot study. Cespón, J., Rodella, C., Miniussi, C., et al.[2020]

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to be safe, with no reports of Serious Adverse Effects or irreversible injuries across over 33,200 sessions involving more than 1,000 subjects, including vulnerable populations.

Safety assessments indicate that the current densities used in conventional tDCS (≤4 milliamperes) are significantly lower than those that could potentially cause brain injury, suggesting that tDCS protocols are well within safe limits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Evidence Based Update 2016. Bikson, M., Grossman, P., Thomas, C., et al.[2022]

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39089145/

Systematic review and meta-analysis of transcranial direct ... Conclusion: The tDCS can ameliorate the global cognition of patients with MCI and AD, and it has a better rehabilitation effect than non-tDCS or sham-tDCS.

2. alzres.biomedcentral.com alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-025-01677-y

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of ... People with AD showed greater improvements compared to those with MCI or dementia (SMD = 0.91, p = 0.02). However, tDCS did not significantly ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2274580724006150

High definition transcranial direct current stimulation as an ... In this pilot trial, no statistically significant differences on cognitive outcomes were found between sham and active HD-tDCS immediately post-treatment (p's > ...

4. cpn.or.kr cpn.or.kr/journal/view.html?uid=1320&vmd=Full&

A Meta-analysis of Effects, Adherence and Adverse Effects To conclude, tDCS is found to be effective in improving cognition of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Anodal tDCS is more effective than dual stimulation and ...

5. thejcn.com thejcn.com/DOIx.php?id=10.3988/jcn.2022.18.4.391

Potential of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in ... A double-blind randomized clinical trial on the efficacy of cortical direct current stimulation for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11040101/

Safety and feasibility of optimized transcranial direct current ... This study aims to determine the feasibility and safety of applying tDCS treatment using optimized and personalized tDCS electrode positions in patients with ...

7. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1697260024000176/pdf

Efficacy and safety of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic ... Overall, the current study showed that rTMS and tDCS can improve memory in AD patients. The rTMS yielded better results when administered in frontal regions, ...

8. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02518412

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as a ... The purpose of this study is to investigate transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a cognitive enhancer for patients with Alzheimer ...