An interventional study of Gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex in Alzheimer Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia and Dementia With Lewy Bodies, sponsored by Kuopio University Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Finland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-02.
Sponsored by Kuopio University Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Double blinded, sham-controlled, randomized trial on repeated transcranial alternating current brain stimulation (tACS) in neurodegenerative diseases. The investigators will evaluate whether a 4-times daily repeated stimulation with gamma tACS on the posterior parietal cortex can improve symptoms in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia with Lewy Bodies, Alzheimer's disease, idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus and Frontotemporal dementia.
Double blinded, sham-controlled, randomized trial on repeated transcranial alternating current brain stimulation (tACS) in neurodegenerative diseases. The investigators will evaluate whether a 4-times daily repeated stimulation with gamma tACS on the posterior parietal cortex can improve symptoms in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia with Lewy Bodies, Alzheimer's disease, idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus and Frontotemporal dementia.
3,965 studies on the registry are indexed under Alzheimer Disease; 926 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 70 across 3,019 interventional studies indexed under Alzheimer Disease.
Browse Alzheimer Disease studies →Kuopio University Hospital is the lead sponsor of 135 studies on the registry; 24 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Four sessions (once a day, during four consecutive days) of gamma tACS (40 Hz) at 3 mA over the superior parietal cortex (Precuneus)
Device: Gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex
Four sessions of sham tACS (once a day, during four consecutive days) over the superior parietal cortex (Precuneus)
Device: Gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex
Single session of gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex
Changes in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test score
Participants are given a list of 15 unrelated words repeated over five different trials and are asked to repeat. Another list of 15 unrelated words are given and the patient must again repeat the original list of 15 words and then again after 30 minutes. The examiner reads aloud 15 unrelated words and the participant is asked to recall the words after each of the five trials. After a 15 minute delay, the participant is asked again to recall the words. The score ranges from 0 (worst performance) to 75 (best performance).
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the first intervention, immediately after the 4th intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Changes in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, recognition
Participants are given a list of 15 unrelated words repeated over five different trials and are asked to repeat. After a 15 minute delay, the participant is asked to recognise the original 15 words intermixed with 31 distractor words. The score of the recognition part ranges from 0 (worst performance) to 46 (best performance).
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the first intervention, immediately after the 4th intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Changes in orientation to time and place (MMSE questions 1-10)
10 questions about the orientation. The score ranges from 0 (worse performance) to 10 (best performance).
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the last intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Changes in Trail Making A & B tests
TMT A \& B tests. Time to perform set is recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the 4th intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Changes in INECO Frontal Screening test
Test battery assessing frontal lobe functions. The score ranges from 0 (worse performance) to 30 (best performance)
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the 4th intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Changes in phonemic fluency
Person is requested to provide as many words as possible starting with certain letter. The score is the sum of all acceptable words produced in one minute.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the first intervention, immediately after the 4th intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Change in SAI measurements
By using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the investigators will evaluate the effects of gamma tACS on short latency afferent inhibition (SAI), which is a marker of cholinergic neurotransmission.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the last intervention
Change in SICI measurements
By using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the investigators will evaluate the effects of gamma tACS on short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), which is a marker of gabaergic neurotransmission.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the last intervention
Change in ICF measurements
By using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the investigators will evaluate the effects of gamma tACS on intracortical facilitation (ICF), which is a marker of glutamatergic neurotransmission.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the last intervention
Change in modified Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI-mod) score
The modified Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI-mod) is used to assess behavioral symptoms associated with frontotemporal dysfunction. The questionnaire evaluates changes in behavioral and personality features. Higher scores indicate a greater severity of behavioral symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the last intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Change in Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score
The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is used to assess neuropsychiatric symptoms, including their frequency and severity. Higher total scores indicate a greater burden of neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline (immediately before the intervention), immediately after the last intervention, 4 weeks after the last intervention
Plan to share: Yes — Pseudonymized data upon request, according to Finnish national and EU GDPR regulations
Time frame: Data will be shared after the study completion indefinitely.
Access criteria: Reasonable request
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Nov 2022 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2032, 116 months after the start.
Of 882 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Alzheimer Disease, half reached primary completion within 30 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 51. This study's planned 116 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 959 studies reached it within 29 months; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 51.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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