Effects and Mechanisms of Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation on Memory Function in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if personalized, multimodal imaging-guided, EEG-based closed-loop Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation (TIBS) can improve memory function in individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does personalized TIBS lead to significant changes in functional connectivity strength of hippocampal-cortical networks at the end of the 2-week intervention compared to baseline?
2. What are the short-term (end of 2-week intervention) and medium-to-long-term (4 weeks and 12 weeks post-intervention) effects of personalized TIBS on episodic and working memory, as well as other cognitive domains in preclinical AD?
3. How does personalized TIBS modulate brain activity and connectivity, as measured by EEG power spectra and functional MRI (fMRI) functional connectivity, in preclinical AD?
4. What is the safety profile of personalized TIBS in this population?

Researchers will compare participants receiving active personalized TIBS to participants receiving sham (inactive) stimulation to see if TIBS effectively improves memory function and induces neural plasticity.

Participants will:

1. Undergo initial screening including neuropsychological assessments and blood p-tau217 testing to identify preclinical AD.
2. Receive either active personalized TIBS or sham stimulation daily for 40 minutes, 6 days a week, for 2 weeks.
3. Have individualized TIBS parameters (e.g., target localization, intensity) determined using baseline structural MRI and DTI.
4. Undergo real-time high-density EEG monitoring during daily stimulation sessions to enable closed-loop adjustment of stimulation parameters.
5. Participate in follow-up assessments at the end of the 2-week intervention, and at 4 weeks and 12 weeks post-intervention.
6. Receive multimodal imaging (sMRI, rs-fMRI, task-fMRI, DTI) and blood biomarker assessments at various time points.
7. Receive Aβ-PET and tau-PET scans, along with comprehensive neuropsychological assessments, at the 12-week follow-up.
8. Have their safety continuously monitored throughout the study.

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease

Interventions

DEVICE

Active TIBS

Participants receive active TIBS targeted at the bilateral hippocampus. Stimulation parameters include a 5 Hz (Theta band) low-frequency modulation envelope, generated by two high-frequency current pairs (e.g., f1=2000 Hz, f2=2005 Hz). Peak-to-peak current intensity for each pair will be 2 mA (or 1 mA per electrode). Stimulation is delivered daily for 40 minutes, 6 days/week, for a total of 2 weeks. Individualized targeting and initial intensity optimization are guided by baseline sMRI and DTI. Real-time high-density EEG monitoring during each daily session (D2-D11) provides feedback on brain activity

DEVICE

Sham TIBS

Participants receive sham stimulation designed to mimic the sensation of active TIBS without therapeutic output. This involves using a sham coil or a device mode with extremely low current intensity (e.g., 0.1-0.2 mA) or brief ramp-up/ramp-down sensations at the beginning and end of sessions, with no effective current delivery during the main stimulation period. The stimulation position and apparent parameters are identical to the active TIBS group to maintain blinding.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ying Han, PhD · Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-07-01

Primary Completion

2028-12-31

Completion

2029-12-31

Countries

• China

Study Locations