Brain Effects of Gamma Frequency Sensory Stimulation (40Hz Light, Sound and Other Devices) (GENUS)

March 24, 2026 updated by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Pilot Study to Evaluate Feasibility of Sensory Stimulation With Gamma Frequency Entrainment

Despite the huge healthcare and economic impact of AD, there is still no disease modifying therapeutics available. In fact, the available therapeutics show low efficacy at best in the treatment of cognitive impairment in dementia. Development of a non-invasive medical device that is effective in slowing cognitive impairment is not only revolutionary but also possibly cost- effective. In this study, participants will come to MIT for a 1-day visit and the investigators will evaluate the effects of GENUS in cognitively normal, healthy adults. Investigators will use Electroencephalogram (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuropsychological testing, and blood sampling in subsets of participants to evaluate for biological effects and safety of GENUS stimulation.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Information processing in the brain is thought to occur through synchronized neuronal activity in the form of network oscillations. Activity in the 30-100 Hz range is considered gamma-band oscillation and has been reported to be critical for attention, memory formation, and recall. Disruptions of gamma oscillations, particularly in the 30 - 50 Hz range, are reported as a potential early hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

40Hz gamma frequency stimulation was previously shown to reduce Alzheimer's disease pathology and improve cognitive outcomes. This study aims to:

  1. Determine whether non-invasive 40Hz sensory stimulation (ie, light, sound, tactile) can change brain activity.
  2. Evaluate whether devices delivering non-invasive 40Hz sensory stimulation are safe in cognitively normal adults.
  3. Determine whether non-invasive 40Hz sensory stimulation can change brain connectivity, neuropsychological measures, blood biomarkers, and the microbiome.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

150

Phase

  • Phase 2

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 Backup

  • Name: Ana Trisini Lipsanopoulos, BS
  • Phone Number: 617-258-7723
  • Email: anat13@mit.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, 02139
        • Recruiting
        • MIT
        • Contact:
          • Ana Trisini Lipsanopoulos, BS
          • Phone Number: 617-258-7723
          • Email: anat13@mit.edu
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ana Trisini Lipsanopoulos, BS

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Have adequate visual and auditory acuity for visual and auditory stimulation to allow for neuropsychological testing.
  • Be able to comply with neuropsychological testing and other study procedures in opinion of site PI.

Exclusion Criteria: Participants will be screened for the following exclusion criteria including if they

  • History of seizure or medical diagnosis of epilepsy.
  • Have MRI contraindications, such as presence of pacemakers, aneurysm clips, artificial heart valves, ear implants, metal fragments, or foreign objects in the eyes, skin, or body.
  • Under the discretion of the site investigator, the site investigator feels the subject cannot complete sufficient key study procedures. Exceptions to these guidelines may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Project Director.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cognitively normal adults
Cognitively normal, healthy adults aged 18 - 100
Device: GENUS
The device is a light and sound device that delivers light stimulation using light-emitting diodes (LED) and sound stimulation through a speaker, with a centrally-mounted tablet or phone that plays videos for entertainment. The device will be positioned on an easel such that the tablet is eye level with the participant while they are sitting 5 feet away or held in their hands. The active device delivers light and sound at 40Hz rate.
Device: Tactile GENUS
The device is a wrist worn or hand held device that vibrates or otherwise generates tactile stimulation at specific frequencies.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effects of GENUS on brain oscillations
Time Frame: 1 year
Using Electroencephalogram (EEG), investigators will determine whether GENUS will affect brain oscillations, including those in the gamma band.
1 year
Effects of GENUS on brain oscillations
Time Frame: 1 year
Using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), investigators will determine whether GENUS will affect brain oscillations.
1 year
Effects of GENUS on brain oscillations
Time Frame: 1 year
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), investigators will determine whether GENUS will affect brain oscillations.
1 year

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effects of GENUS on the microbiome
Time Frame: 1 year
The microbiome will be evaluated after a single session of GENUS stimulation Subjects will produce a fecal sample and hand it off to study staff for storage and sample processing using the QIAamp PowerFecal Pro DNA Kit (Qiagen). Data will then be analyzed using the Divisive Amplicon Denoising Algorithm 2 (DADA2) pipeline, which will provide gut microbial composition in the different experimental groups. Pipeline outputs involve principal component analyses, and a custom in-house script will be used to make statistical comparisons.
1 year
Effect of GENUS on blood biomarkers
Time Frame: 1 year
After 1 hour of GENUS in a subset of participants, we will evaluate whether GENUS will affect blood based biomarkers.
1 year
Effect of GENUS on brain connectivity
Time Frame: 1 year
Using Electroencephalogram (EEG), we will evaluate whether GENUS will affect brain connectivity, including those involved in gamma oscillations.
1 year
Effect of GENUS on brain connectivity
Time Frame: 1 year
Using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), we will evaluate whether GENUS will affect brain connectivity.
1 year
Effect of GENUS on brain connectivity
Time Frame: 1 year
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we will evaluate whether GENUS will affect brain connectivity.
1 year
Effects of GENUS on neuropsychiatric measures
Time Frame: 1 year
After 1 hour of GENUS, a subset of participants will undergo neuropsychiatric evaluation with a preset battery of tests to evaluate for changes in cognition.
1 year
Effects of GENUS on neuropsychiatric measures
Time Frame: 1 year
After 1 hour of GENUS, a subset of participants will undergo neuropsychiatric evaluation with a preset battery of tests to evaluate for changes in mood.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Investigators

  • Study Director: Ana Trisini Lipsanopoulos, BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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)

February 20, 2018

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 9, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 24, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1712179268
  • Aging Brain Initiative (Other Identifier: MIT)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

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.

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