Mild Cognitive Impairment and Neuromodulation (MCI)

August 19, 2026 updated by: Wynn Legon, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

MCI - Mild Cognitive Impairment and Neuromodulation

This is a parallel, sham-controlled design of low-intensity focused ultrasound in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The study will evaluate safety, tolerability, and effects on cognitive function.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This parallel 2 arm study is sham controlled and collected over 6 study visits. Participants will receive MRI and CT scans, LIFU neuromodulation, cognitive assessments, and questionnaires batteries to assess tolerability and functional outcomes in an MCI population.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Roanoke, Virginia, United States, 24016
        • Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

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

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores between 18-23 inclusive, and able to consent to their own medical care.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Claustrophobia
  • MRI contraindications (pacemaker, aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, cochlear implants, metal in eyes, or other implants)
  • CT contraindications (pregnancy)
  • Non-AD etiology (eg. Lewy body disease, vascular dementia, alcohol/drug related damage)
  • Taking anti-amyloid antibodies
  • Neuromod within 6 months of the study
  • History of other neurological disorder
  • Hx of head injury with LOC > 10 min
  • Active alcohol or drug dependence

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: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Real LIFU
Active Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound application
Device: Low intensity focused ultrasound
low-intensity focused ultrasound applied with a two element transducer from sonic concepts.
Other Names:
  • FUS
  • tFUS
Sham Comparator: Sham LIFU
Blocked LIFU energy to the same brain region as the active group.
Device: Sham (No Treatment)
Blocked LIFU

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Safety of LIFU in MCI patients - Report of Symptoms Assessment
Time Frame: Throughout study participation - about 6 months in total.
Symptom data (each possible symptom is listed & scored on a likert scale - absent, mild, moderate, or severe. Free response section for any symptoms not listed.) collected before and during a follow-up period after LIFU application. Questionnaire data to be completed directly by the subject.
Throughout study participation - about 6 months in total.
Tolerability Questionnaire Data
Time Frame: 30 minutes after the intervention
Participants complete a questionnaire at the end of the study visit to query if they were uncomfortable/comfortable (on a likert scale, strongly disagree to strongly agree) during the experiment and if they would suggest the study to others. This data will be used to analyze tolerability of the study visits in this clinical population.
30 minutes after the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effects on cognitive function using MoCA.
Time Frame: 4 times over the course of study participation - which is about 6 months in total.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) will be performed at 4 time points throughout the participation in this study. This is used to assess any changes in cognitive processing - it evaluates memory, executive function, language, attention, and orientation. Assessment produces a score up to 30. 26 and above are considered cognitively normal. Between 19 and 25, a patient is considered to have mild cognitive impairment.
4 times over the course of study participation - which is about 6 months in total.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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 (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 22, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 19, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 26-461

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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