NCT06538311 · Early Phase 1 · RECRUITING
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease
This trial is testing whether repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) — a non-invasive device that briefly alters brain activity using magnetic pulses — can improve memory and brain-network function. Participants receive 20 sessions of either real or sham (inactive) rTMS over several weeks, with memory tests and MRI scans measuring the results. This is an Early Phase 1 study, meaning researchers are still exploring basic effects and safety in a small group.
You may qualify if
- Between the ages of 40-99
- Native English speakers
- Willing and able to consent to the protocol and undergo imaging and neuropsychological testing at the specified time points
- Patients with PPA will be asked to bring a study partner to all visits
- Patients with very mild or mild PPA, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and cognitively unimpaired participants with preclinical AD will be included.
You're excluded if
- History of head trauma involving loss of consciousness or alteration in consciousness
- Another major neurologic or psychiatric condition
- Known presence of a structural brain lesion (e.g. tumor, cortical infarct)
- Any contraindication to MRI, such as presence of pacemakers, aneurysm clips, artificial heart valves, ear implants, metal fragments, or foreign objects in the eyes, skin, or body
- Longstanding premorbid history (i.e. longer than 10 years) of alcohol or substance abuse with continuous abuse up to and including the time that the symptoms leading to clinical presentation developed
- Any significant systemic illness or unstable medical condition which could lead to difficulty complying with the study protocol.
- Unwilling to return for follow-up, undergo neuropsychological testing, TMS, and MR imaging
- History of unprovoked seizures (i.e., seizures that occur in the absence of a clear provocation such as hyponatremia, hypoglycemia, etc.).
- Subjects who have a first degree relative (e.g., father, mother or sibling) with a seizure disorder.
- Subjects currently taking, or plan to take, medications which are highly epileptogenic. These include: clozapine, high doses of bupropion (i.e., greater than 400mg daily), diphenhydramine, cyclosporine, isoniazid, imipenem, chloroquine, tramadol and theophylline.
- Subjects actively on anti-amyloid treatments. This is because they are at risk for bleeding due to amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) that could provoke seizures.
The sponsor's own eligibility wording, lightly reformatted. The study team makes the final eligibility decision — worth discussing with your doctor.
Eligibility criteria as of 2026-05-06