Brain slow waves, sleep and memory in aging and early Alzheimer disease
Studies brain slow waves during sleep and wakefulness in older and early Alzheimer adults.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Links Between Cognitive Deficits During Normal or Pathological Aging and Slow Waves Measured in EEG
Key facts
- Where
- Paris, FranceSee the site
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for three groups: young adults, older adults with normal thinking, and older adults with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
- Age
- Young adults 18 to 35 years. Older adults and patients 60 to 85 years.
- Sex
- Men and women can join.
- Disease stage
- Patients: prodromal (early) stage of Alzheimer's disease with a progressive memory problem. Other groups: normal thinking, based on test scores.
- Biomarker or test result
- Patients: Alzheimer's markers from lumbar puncture (Aβ < 600 pg/mL and ptau > 60 pg/mL), amyloid PET, or positive plasma Alzheimer's biomarkers.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Not a native French speaker
- Fewer than 7 years of schooling
- Not affiliated with a social security system
- Healthy groups: MMSE below 26, BREF below 16, or 5-word test below 8
Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 85 years old?
Source: NCT06501495, who can take part
Where in France
- Maladies du SommeilParis, FranceContact: Isabelle Arnulf, PrTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
- Trial code
- NCT06501495
- Record updated
- 13 April 2026
- Original description
With age, memory processes (encoding, consolidation and retrieval) as well as daytime vigilance are altered. Sleep is also impaired in older adults, notably slow waves that are known to play a key role in memory consolidation. Interestingly, some slow waves can also be detected in EEG recordings during wakefulness, and have been related to vigilance fluctuations.Read full original descriptionShow less
Slow Waves During Sleep and Wakefulness: a Common Denominator for Cognitive and Attentional Disorders in Normal and Pathological Aging (Exploratory Study)
With age, memory processes (encoding, consolidation and retrieval) as well as daytime vigilance are altered. Sleep is also impaired in older adults, notably slow waves that are known to play a key role in memory consolidation. Interestingly, some slow waves can also be detected in EEG recordings during wakefulness, and have been related to vigilance fluctuations.
The investigators believe that slow waves, during both sleep and wakefulness, could constitute a common biomarker of sleep disturbances and daytime vigilance problems. A dysregulation of slow waves could thus explain the impact of aging on the different memory processes. Since alterations in memory capacity, attention, and sleep quality are further exacerbated in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the investigators propose to study the links between aging (normal and pathological), sleep and daytime vigilance alterations, and their impacts on the different key stages of memory.
The investigators will examine the associations between slow waves and changes in memory and vigilance in normal and pathological aging by studying young adults, seniors without cognitive disorders, and patients with prodromal AD. By replaying sensory cues associated with learning material during sleep, the investigators will also evaluate the effectiveness of auditory stimulation during sleep to enhance memory consolidation in older adults without and without cognitive deficits.
Overall, this study aims to better understand the relationships between slow waves, aging, memory, and vigilance, providing insights into cognitive decline and potential interventions in aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Common Inclusion Criteria for All Three Groups:; Male or female Signed informed consent Affiliated with a social security system Native French speakers Completed at least 7 years of schooling (minimum 9th grade level); Specific Inclusion Criteria for Each Group:; Patients:; Age: 60 to 85 years Prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease diagnosed according to international diagnostic criteria, characterized by a clinical phenotype of progressive amnesic syndrome of the hippocampal type, associated with biological markers of Alzheimer's disease 1) from lumbar puncture (Aβ < 600 pg/mL and ptau > 60 pg/mL)or 2) amyloid PET (positron emission tomography), or 3) with positive plasma Alzheimer's biomarkers; Cognitively Healthy Seniors:; Age: 60 to 85 years Age and sex matched with the Patients group "Cognitively healthy" status defined by a score of ≥ 26 on the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), a score of ≥ 16 on the BREF (Batterie Rapide d'Efficience Frontale), and a score of ≥ 8 on the 5-word test; Young Adults:; Age: 18 to 35 years Sex matched with the Patients group "Cognitively healthy" status defined by a score of ≥ 26 on the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), a score of ≥ 16 on the BREF (Batterie Rapide d'Efficience Frontale), and a score of ≥ 8 on the 5-word test.