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Non-invasive electrical stimulation study in Alzheimer's disease with depression

Tests temporal interference stimulation of the hippocampus in adults with Alzheimer's and depression.

Key facts

Who runs it
First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University
Where
Hangzhou, ChinaSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Effect and Safety of Non-invasive Electrical Stimulation in Alzheimer's Disease
Status
Enrolling by invitation
People taking part
30 people, planned
Started
16 Jun 2026
Expected to end
31 Dec 2027
Type of study
Interventional
Treatments tested
  • Temporal Interference Stimulation
Record updated
27 July 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

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 people aged 60 or older with Alzheimer's disease and depression. It tests a two-week non-invasive electrical stimulation of the hippocampus.

Age
60 years or older
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Alzheimer's disease by DSM-5 criteria, with MMSE score below 24, CDR score of 0.5 or 1, and HAMD-24 depression score of 20 or more.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Other illnesses that cause memory problems, such as hypothyroidism, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
  • Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, normal-pressure hydrocephalus or brain tumor
  • Mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
  • Cannot have an MRI, for example because of metal implants or a pacemaker
  • History of intracranial infection or cerebrovascular disease

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 2 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • (1) Right-handed, Han ethnicity; (2) Meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5); (3) Age ≥60 years, with at least primary school education, and capable of cooperating during testing; (4) Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score <24; (5) Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5 or 1; (6) The 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24) score ≥20

Who cannot take part

  • (1) Systemic diseases causing cognitive impairment, such as hypothyroidism, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; (2) Comorbid neurological disorders including epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, normal-pressure hydrocephalus, and brain tumors; (3) Comorbid mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or psychiatric disorders due to alcohol or drug abuse; (4) History of post-traumatic loss of consciousness, intracranial infection, or cerebrovascular disease; (5) A Hachinski Ischemic Scale (HIS) score ≥4; (6) Cranial MRI revealing ischemic lesions involving critical brain regions like the hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia, or angular gyrus, or multiple ischemic lesions in deep gray matter of the cerebral hemispheres; (7) Inability to undergo MRI due to special conditions such as internal metal implants or pacemakers

Where in China

  • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, ChinaNo longer taking part

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized primarily by cognitive impairment as its main clinical symptom, often accompanied by emotional disturbances such as depression and anxiety, imposing a significant disease burden. Temporal Interference Stimulation (TIS) is an emerging non-invasive electrical stimulation technique that precisely targets deep structures within the hippocampus through interference of multiple electric fields. This study will administer a two-week TIS treatment to patients with AD co-occurring depression, targeting the hippocampus, and compare changes in patients' cognitive function, scores on depression and anxiety scales, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data before and after treatment. An emotional word recall task will be administered during fMRI scans. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy, safety, and neural mechanisms of TIS-mediated modulation of hippocampal circuits in improving cognitive and emotional functioning in patients with AD and comorbid depression.

The group in the trial

  • Temporal Interference StimulationTreatment being tested

    Specific electrode sites are customized for the subject through magnetic resonance scanning, the Hippocampal region to be stimulated is calibrated through electric field simulation before treatment, and the stimulation target can be accurately positioned by stimulating the specific electrode sites of the subject during treatment.

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Effect and Safety of Non-invasive Electrical Stimulation in Improving Cognitive and Depressive Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease
Plain-language title
Non-invasive electrical stimulation study in Alzheimer's disease with depressionGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Record updated
27 July 2026