Non-Invasive EEG-Triggered Brain Stimulation to Enhance Working Memory in Dementia

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the use of a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation method called transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS timed to individual brain waves to improve working memory in people with dementia, including Alzheimers disease. The study focuses on how brain wave synchronization affects cognitive function and aims to enhance communication between brain regions involved in working memory to potentially increase independence and reduce caregiver burden. Participants will receive TMS targeted to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during working memory tasks, timed precisely to the phase of brain waves measured by electroencephalography EEG from the temporal cortex. This intervention is designed to strengthen connections between brain areas involved in cognition through long-term potentiation. The study includes a two-week intervention period with TMS sessions synchronized to EEG signals. Throughout the study, participants will undergo memory and cognitive assessments such as forward and reverse digit span, sentence span, grocery list tasks, Montreal Cognitive Assessment MoCA, and Mini-Mental State Examination MMSE before, immediately after, and at one and four months post-intervention. EEG recordings will also be taken to measure brain connectivity changes. This study evaluates the feasibility and potential benefits of EEG-triggered TMS to improve cognition in dementia over several months.

Brain Wave Informed Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: Improving Neural Networks of Working Memory in Dementia: a Proof-of-concept Study