Verified
Electrical Stimulation

Electrical Stimulation for Learning and Memory in Alzheimer's and Primary Progressive Aphasia

Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD Verified
Targeting 5 different conditionsWord List Learning Intervention (WordLLI) +2 moreN/ARecruitingLed by Kyrana Tsapkini, PhDResearch Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University

Study Summary

This trial will test if a non-invasive brain stimulation technique can improve verbal learning in Alzheimer's patients.

Eligible Conditions
  • Nonfluent Aphasia
  • Progressive Aphasia
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Primary Progressive Aphasia

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You will be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

Timeline

Screening ~ 2 days
Treatment ~ 6 months
Follow Up ~before intervention, immediately after intervention, 1 month and 3 months post intervention, up to 31 weeks
This trial's timeline: 2 days for screening, 6 months for treatment, and before intervention, immediately after intervention, 1 month and 3 months post intervention, up to 31 weeks for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
Change in auditory delayed recall accuracy of semantically related - trained word-lists
Change in auditory delayed recall accuracy of semantically related - untrained word-lists
Change in auditory delayed recall accuracy of semantically unrelated - trained word-lists
+5 more
Secondary outcome measures
Change in Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) concentration
Change in Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)
Change in Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) score
+22 more
Other outcome measures
Correlation of primary and with sleep efficiency

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Sham+word intervention then active HD-tDCS+word interventionExperimental Treatment3 Interventions
Participants will receive Sham + Word List Learning Intervention (WordLLI) and then active HD-tDCS + WordLLI after a three-month washout period.
Group II: Active HD-tDCS+word intervention then Sham+word interventionExperimental Treatment3 Interventions
Participants will receive active HD-tDCS + Word List Learning Intervention (WordLLI) and then receive Sham + WordLLI after a three-month washout period.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Sham
2013
Completed Phase 3
~2060
Active HD-tDCS
2016
N/A
~90

Find a site

Logistics

Other reimbursement is provided

Other forms of reimbursement are provided for this trial.

Who is running the clinical trial?

Johns Hopkins UniversityLead Sponsor
2,158 Previous Clinical Trials
14,817,482 Total Patients Enrolled
Kyrana Tsapkini, PhDPrincipal Investigator
Johns Hopkins University
6 Previous Clinical Trials
360 Total Patients Enrolled

Media Library

Active HD-tDCS (Electrical Stimulation) Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT04122001 — N/A
Alzheimer's Disease Research Study Groups: Sham+word intervention then active HD-tDCS+word intervention, Active HD-tDCS+word intervention then Sham+word intervention
Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial 2023: Active HD-tDCS Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT04122001 — N/A
Active HD-tDCS (Electrical Stimulation) 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT04122001 — N/A
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Testimony for trial: Trial Name: NCT04122001 — N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

How many participants are allowed to enroll in this research endeavor?

"Indeed, the information available on clinicaltrials.gov attests to this study's ongoing recruitment process. This trial was first posted in August 1st 2020 and its most recent update happened July 8th 2022; it is searching for 60 patients from a single site."

Answered by AI

Is the eligible age range for this trial above or below 65 years?

"This study only allows participants aged 50 to 75, in accordance with their eligibility criteria."

Answered by AI

Would I be qualified to join this research endeavor?

"This research endeavour is aiming to enroll 60 individuals with Alzheimer's Disease between the ages of 50 and 75. Furthermore, participants must pass the following prerequisites: have a minimum high-school education, be right-handed, fit the Mild Cognitive Impairment or 'possible AD' designation according to 2011 guidelines while also having corresponding biomarkers such as cerebrospinal fluid or PET scans that demonstrate amyloid-beta deposits/FDG uptake with unihemispheric atrophy."

Answered by AI

Are there still slots available for individuals to partake in this research?

"According to clinicaltrials.gov, this patient recruitment is ongoing, with the original post dating back to August 1st 2020 and a recent edit on July 8th 2022."

Answered by AI

What are the key objectives of this medical study?

"This study seeks to quantify changes in auditory recall accuracy and syntactic comprehension, as well as spatial span forward score and verbal fluency task scores. Evaluations will be taken at baseline, directly after intervention, one month post-intervention and three months post-intervention up until a total of 31 weeks have elapsed. Improvements in the measured metrics are seen as beneficial outcomes for participants enrolled in this trial."

Answered by AI

Who else is applying?

What state do they live in?
Florida
Maryland
What site did they apply to?
Johns Hopkins Hospital
What portion of applicants met pre-screening criteria?
Did not meet criteria
Met criteria
How many prior treatments have patients received?
2
1
3+
0

What questions have other patients asked about this trial?

Where do I go ?? When does it start %? Where are you located? Do you have to take medicine,or is a brain scan and study?
Patient

Why did patients apply to this trial?

Just curious @my age. Ran across trial while I was. I have mild cognitive impairment.
Patient
Just now beginning to see a change in memory! My mother has dementia.Her cousin also had it.
Patient

How responsive is this trial?

Average response time
  • < 2 Days
Most responsive sites:
  1. Johns Hopkins Hospital: < 24 hours
Typically responds via
Email
Phone Call
Recent research and studies
~20 spots leftby May 2025