Table 4.
Non-pharmacological brain stimulation techniques for reducing brain hyperexcitability.
| Class and Name | Mechanism | Population | Phase, NCT Number and Outcomes, Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| TMS 1 | Coil-induced depolarizing magnetic field | (1, 10) AD 2 (2) MCI 3 or AD (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12) Mild-moderate AD (11) PPA 4, MCI, AD |
(1) Phase 2 (NCT00814697)–not reported (2) Phase 2 (NCT04555941)-ongoing (3) Phase n/a 5 (NCT03778151)-ongoing (4) Phase n/a (NCT04260724)-ongoing (5) Phase n/a (NCT03121066)-ongoing (6) Phase n/a (NCT02537496)-not reported (7) Phase n/a (NCT01481961)–ongoing (8) Phase n/a (NCT04263194)-ongoing (9) Phase n/a (NCT04294888)-ongoing (10) Phase n/a (NCT04562506)-not reported (11) Phase n/a (NCT04045990)-ongoing (12) Phase 4 (NCT02190084)-not reported |
| tDCS 6 | Low direct electric currents | Mild-moderate AD | Phase n/a (NCT03288363)–ongoing Phase n/a (NCT04404153)–ongoing Phase n/a (NCT03313518)–cognitive improvement and increase in CSF 7 Aβ42 [312] |
| tACS 8 | Sinusoidal, alternating low frequency currents | (1, 3) Mild-moderate AD (2) MCI (4) MCI and AD (5, 6) AD |
(1) Phase n/a (NCT03290326)-not reported (2) Phase n/a (NCT04515433)-ongoing (3) Phase n/a (NCT03412604)-ongoing (4) Phase 1/2 (NCT03880240)-ongoing (5) Phase n/a (NCT03920826)-ongoing (6) Phase n/a (NCT04088643)-ongoing |
| GammaSense stimulation | 40 Hz LED light and auditory stimuli | (1, 2) MCI and AD | (1) Phase n/a (NCT03556280)-ongoing (2) Phase n/a (NCT03661034)-ongoing |
| TMS/tDCS and cognitive stimulation | Brain stimulation and computer-based cognitive stimulation | (1, 2) Mild-moderate AD | (1) Phase n/a (NCT01825317)–not reported (2) Phase n/a (NCT01825330)–not reported |
| NeuroEM | Transcranial electromagnetic treatment (TEMT) | (1, 2) Mild-moderate AD | (1) Phase n/a (NCT03927040)-ongoing (2) Phase 1/2 (NCT04271163)-ongoing |
| Temporal interference stimulation (TI) | Two different electric fields via electrodes | Healthy subjects | Phase n/a (NCT03747601)-ongoing |
| Photobiomodulation | Intranasal delivery of near infrared light via diodes | (1) Healthy subjects at risk for AD (2) AD (3) AD |
(1) Phase 2 (NCT04018092)-ongoing (2) Phase n/a (NCT03405662)-ongoing (3) Phase n/a (NCT03160027)–improvements in cognition, cerebral perfusion and brain connectivity [310] |
1 TMS = Transcranial magnetic stimulation =, 2 AD = Alzheimer’s disease, 3 MCI = mild cognitive impairment, 4 PPA = primary progressive aphasia, 5 n/a = not applicable, 6 tDCS = transcranial direct current stimulation, 7 CSF = cerebrospinal fluid, 8 tACS = transcranial alternating current stimulation. Only the most advanced and recent trials are shown. Outcomes are based on information available in ClinicalTrials.gov.