NCT06880510 · ACTIVE NOT RECRUITING
The Locus Coeruleus, Norepinephrine and Cognitive Aging
This trial is studying the locus coeruleus, a small brain region that loses health early in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers are using MRI scans, pupil-response measurements, and a mild nerve-stimulation device worn on the ear to see how this brain region functions and whether simple physical signals can reflect its condition. This is a Phase NA study, meaning it is exploratory research rather than a test of a treatment.
You may qualify if
- 18+ years of age
- Able to speak and understand English
- Hearing and vision correctable to normal or near-normal
- Willing and able to use a touchscreen
- Willing and able to use a keyboard and mouse
- Willing and able to undergo a MRI scan at the Cornell MRI Facility lasting approximately 90 minutes.
You're excluded if
- Moderate or severe brain injury
- Serious neurological disorders such as epilepsy
- Recent concussion
- Colorblindness
- Use of street drugs
- Cardiac arrhythmias
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