NCT04842955

Modulators of Gamma tACS in Alzheimer's Disease (Mod-GammAD)

Interventional Cross-over Study to Evaluate the Modulators of Efficacy of Alternating Current Brain Stimulation (tACS) in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale degli Spedali Civili di Brescia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Brain oscillations are ubiquitous in the human brain and have been implicated in cognitive and behavioral states defined in precisely tuned neural networks. In neurodegenerative disorders, neurodegeneration is accompanied by changes in oscillatory activity leading to the emerging concept of neurological and psychiatric disorders as "oscillopathies". Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for the vast majority of age-related dementias, is characterised by a prominent disruption of oscillations in the gamma frequency band. The restoration of gamma oscillations by neural entrainment in animal models of Alzheimer's disease have shown a remarkable decrease in the pathological burden of amyloid and tau via increased microglial activity, resulting in a significant increase of cognitive performances. Transcranial alternating current brain stimulation (tACS), is a neurophysiological method of non-invasive modulation of the excitability of the central nervous system that is having an increasingly numerous spectrum of potential therapeutic applications. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in modulating the natural frequencies of cerebral oscillation, underlying multiple cognitive processes such as verbal memory, perception and working memory. On the basis of these premises, the treatment with gamma tACS is proposed in patients affected by Alzheimer's disease. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, cross-over study, the investigators will evaluate the modulators of response on cognitive measure to a single stimulation with gamma tACS on the posterior parietal cortex in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's disease.

Detailed description

Brain oscillations are ubiquitous in the human brain and have been implicated in cognitive and behavioral states defined in precisely tuned neural networks. In neurodegenerative disorders, neurodegeneration is accompanied by changes in oscillatory activity leading to the emerging concept of neurological and psychiatric disorders as "oscillopathies". Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for the vast majority of age-related dementias, is characterised by a prominent disruption of oscillations in the gamma frequency band. The restoration of gamma oscillations by neural entrainment in animal models of Alzheimer's disease have shown a remarkable decrease in the pathological burden of amyloid and tau via increased microglial activity, resulting in a significant increase of cognitive performances. Transcranial alternating current brain stimulation (tACS), is a neurophysiological method of non-invasive modulation of the excitability of the central nervous system that is having an increasingly numerous spectrum of potential therapeutic applications. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in modulating the natural frequencies of cerebral oscillation, underlying multiple cognitive processes such as verbal memory, perception and working memory. On the basis of these premises, the treatment with gamma tACS is proposed in patients affected by Alzheimer's disease. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, cross-over study, the investigators will evaluate the modulators of response on cognitive measure to a single stimulation with gamma tACS on the posterior parietal cortex in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. Subjects will be randomized in two groups, one receiving a single treatment with gamma tACS (40 Hz) first and the other receiving sham stimulation. After one week the treatments will be exchanged. Patients will be evaluated with neuropsychological tests and neurophysiological measures of cholinergic transmission. Modulators of response, including cognitive reserve, baseline impairment, apo-E genotype, MRI measures of atrophy and connectivity, electric field modelling, will be considered.

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex	Single session of gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex
DEVICE	Sham tACS over the superior parietal cortex	Single session of sham tACS over the superior parietal cortex

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-03-10
• Primary completion: 2021-04-30
• Completion: 2021-04-30
• First posted: 2021-04-13
• Last updated: 2022-11-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Italy