Memory Enhancement Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (Memento)

May 29, 2026 updated by: Willem de Haan, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
The 32 million Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 69 million prodromal AD patients worldwide contribute to a large economic burden. Effective and safe therapies that slow or prevent the progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD are therefore of high priority. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a safe and patient-friendly non-invasive brain stimulation technique that serves as a potential candidate for reducing and/or slowing cognitive impairment. Application of tACS in the gamma frequency range, specifically around 40 Hz, has been studied in patients with AD and MCI due to AD. In these patients, a single session of 40 Hz tACS at the precuneus showed to improve episodic memory and to increase gamma power, as measured with electroencephalography. These findings will be replicated in the current study in patients with MCI due to AD, using magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded before, during and after tACS. In this way, brain activity and network changes that underlie this improvement in episodic memory can be studied with greater temporal and spatial detail.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
26

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
    • North Holland
      • Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, 1081HV
        • Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Recent (not more than 6 months ago) amnestic MCI diagnosis, which consensus is obtained in a multidisciplinary meeting after an extended multidisciplinary test battery at the memory clinic, including confirmation of AD pathology with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers: abnormal p-tau/Aβ42 ratio of > 0.023

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Suffering from serious neurological, psychiatric or somatic comorbidity
  • Suffering from epileptic seizures or severe claustrophobia
  • Intensive use of psychoactive medication
  • Having a cardiac pacemaker, internal cardiac defibrillator or other intracorporeal device that interferes with MEG recordings

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Active tACS
Gamma (40 Hz) tACS at the precuneus region
Device: Gamma (40 Hz) tACS at the precuneus region
40 Hz tACS applied at a current of 3.2 milliampere peak-to-peak using a NuroStym transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) system of NeuroDevice for four times 12 minutes (48 minutes in total) at the Pz (according to the 10-20 international EEG coordinates)
Sham Comparator: Sham tACS
Sham tACS at the precuneus region
Device: Sham tACS at the precuneus region
Sham tACS applied with no effective stimulation between the ramp-up and ramp-down of the current using a NuroStym tES system of NeuroDevice for four times 12 minutes (48 minutes in total) at the Pz (according to the 10-20 international EEG coordinates)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test scores
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVL) test evaluates verbal episodic memory and is designed as a list-learning paradigm in which the subject hears a list of 15 nouns. The participant is asked to recall as many words from the list as possible after each of 5 repetitions of free-recall (total recall), and 15 minutes after an interference trial (long delayed recall). Scores range from 0 to 75 (total recall) and 0 to 15 (long delayed recall), with higher scores meaning a better outcome. An increase in RAVL test (total and long delayed recall) after active but not sham tACS is expected.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in Face-Name Association Task scores
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
The Face-Name Association Task assesses associative episodic memory and is a computer paradigm consisting of an encoding and a retrieval phase of face-name pairs. During the encoding phase, participants are instructed to remember a set of 12 faces and names they are paired. In two additional learning trials, participants are shown the previously learned faces and are asked to recall the correct name associated with each face (inital recognition). This recall of the correct name associated with a learned face is repeated 5 minutes after the learning trials during the retrieval phase (associative recognition). Scores range from 0 to 24 (inital recognition) and 0 to 12 (associative recognition), with higher scores meaning a better outcome. An increase in FNAT score (initial and associative recognition) after active but not sham tACS is expected.
Immediately before and after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in spectral source space resting-state MEG (relative power)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in relative power will be used, expecting an increase in relative power in higher alpha, beta and gamma bands and decrease in relative power in theta band after active but not sham tACS.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in spectral source space resting-state MEG (posterior peak frequency)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in posterior peak frequency will be used, expecting an increase in posterior peak frequency after active but not sham tACS.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in functional connectivity source space resting-state MEG (AEC-c)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in corrected amplitude envelope correlation (AEC-c) will be used, expecting an increase in AEC-c in higher alpha, beta and gamma bands after active but not sham tACS.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in functional connectivity source space resting-state MEG (PLI)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in phase lag index (PLI) will be used, expecting a decrease in PLI in theta band after active but not sham tACS.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in source space resting-state MEG network structure (MST variables)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in graph theory parameters will be used as a measure of global network structure. Restoration of overall network configuration (expressed by shift of multiple Minimum spanning tree (MST) parameters towards healthy state, e.g. stronger hierarchy) after active but not sham tACS is expected.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in source space resting-state MEG network structure (clustering coefficient and path length)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in graph theory parameters will be used as a measure of global network structure. Preserved small-world configuration (shift of small world index (clustering coefficient/path length) towards less random topology) after active but not sham tACS is expected.
Immediately before and after intervention
Change in source space resting-state MEG network structure (modulatory index, degree and eigenvector centrality)
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention
Change in graph theory parameters will be used as a measure of mesoscale network structure (modularory measures) and nodal characteristics (degree and eigenvector centrality). Restoration of hub disruption (stronger modularity index, increase in degree and eigenvector centrality) of precuneus-posterior cingulate and medial temporal lobe after active but not sham tACS is expected.
Immediately before and after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Willem de Haan, dr., Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 28, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 7, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 22, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20212222

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The individual participant data will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author in consultation with the data protection officer

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be shared after the study completion indefinitely

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Upon reasonable request

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings