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Brain Stimulation Paired With Structured Language Learning in Adults

NCT07762118 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 60

Last updated 2026-08-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study investigates whether transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) delivered during structured language-learning sessions affects the rate and quality of second-language acquisition in adults.

Adults who are learning or planning to learn a new language are randomly assigned in equal numbers to receive either active stimulation or sham (placebo) stimulation while completing structured language-learning content. Participants wear a non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation headset that delivers a low-level electrical current through electrodes resting on the scalp, targeting cortical regions associated with language. Sessions typically last 20 to 30 minutes and may be completed at home or in person at a participating language program.

Language proficiency is measured with a standardized assessment before and after the intervention period, with additional app-derived performance metrics and participant-reported measures collected throughout. A follow-up assessment may be conducted up to 12 months after the intervention ends to evaluate whether any observed effects persist.

In this study the device is applied as a learning aid in healthy adults. It is not used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Conditions

  • Language Development
  • Learning

Interventions

DEVICE

Active transcranial electrical stimulation (tES)

Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation delivered by a scalp-mounted headset within the LOTES-2023 limited-output envelope, paired with structured language-learning content. Adult declared range 0 to 4 mA average absolute current, maximum current density 2 mA/cm2 at the electrode contact area, and maximum session duration 60 minutes subject to a 6000 mC per-session total charge limit. Electrodes are placed in standard cephalic or extracephalic montages targeting the left perisylvian region and adjacent association cortex.

DEVICE

Sham transcranial electrical stimulation (tES)

Sham stimulation delivered by the same scalp-mounted headset, providing the initial cutaneous sensory experience of stimulation onset without sustained current delivery, paired with the same structured language-learning content. The specific validated sham approach is selected per cohort and documented in the corresponding cohort plan.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • General Neuro Inc.

    lead INDUSTRY

Principal Investigators

  • Alec Sheffield, PhD · General Neuro Inc.

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-09-01
Primary Completion
2031-06-01
Completion
2032-06-01

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07762118 on ClinicalTrials.gov