Actively Recruiting
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease
Led by Willem de Haan · Updated on 2026-05-12
55
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
168 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
New amyloid-targeting drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) offer minimal or unclear efficacy and often cause adverse events, highlighting the need for new therapies. In recent years, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown increasing success. A recent randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, phase 2 demonstrated promising results from a 24-week rTMS treatment protocol targeting the precuneus. This brain region is considered a main hub of the human brain connectome and a prominent area of AD pathology. The results showed stable cognitive performance and increased brain activity in the treatment group, whereas the sham group worsened. A replication study is planned to further investigate the working mechanism of precuneus-rTMS in AD and to improve understanding of its therapeutic potential.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Biomarker-supported Alzheimer's disease with abnormal CSF p-tau/Ab242 ratio above 0.023 or positive amyloid PET scan
- Age between 50 and 85 years
- Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5 or 1
- Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score between 18 and 27
- Presence of a caregiver
You will not qualify if you...
- History of neurodegenerative diseases other than Alzheimer's disease, stroke, or epilepsy
- Severe psychiatric problems that interfere with study participation and may cause cognitive impairment, as assessed by an expert neurologist or psychiatrist
- Extensive cerebrovascular damage on MRI classified as Fazekas level 2 or 3; patients with level 3 are excluded, and those with level 2 are evaluated by an expert neurologist
- Presence of metal in the head or cranial/thoracic implants, including cochlear implants
- Unstable dosing of cholinesterase inhibitors in the last 2 months
- Extreme claustrophobia or metallic objects preventing MRI and MEG examinations
- Previous treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Amsterdam UMC
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
W
Willem De Haan, PhD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
DOUBLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
2
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