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Principal Investigator: THEODORE P ZANTO
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $524,623
Funding agency: National Institute on Aging
Abstract
The overall goal of this project is to collect pilot feasibility and early efficacy data showing improvements
in cognition and wellbeing in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through a combination
treatment of non-invasive brain stimulation (transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)) and a
novel form of closed-loop digital meditation (Meditrain). MCI is a transitional stage between normal
aging and dementia, and patients with MCI are at high risk of progressing onto Alzheimer’s disease
and other dementias. Non-invasive brain stimulation and focused-attention meditation are two
approaches that hold great promise for boosting cognitive abilities and enhancing wellbeing in OA at
risk of Alzheimer’s disease. While a handful of studies have combined neural stimulation with meditation
in healthy young adults, none have employed digital closed loop meditation nor examined this question
in a population at high risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, the goal of this proposed research is to collect
pilot data to test the hypothesis that coupling MediTrain with frequency-specific (i.e., theta) tACS
targeting frontal attention networks will lead to faster and/or greater magnitude of gains in cognitive
abilities, real-world indices of stress and sleep, and key blood biomarkers of aging in aMCI patients. To
accomplish these aims, we will conduction an RCT on 90 OA with aMCI who will be assigned to one of
three intervention groups: MediTrain + 6Hz tACS (n = 30), MediTrain + sham tACS (n = 30), or a
placebo (Worder app + sham tACS) intervention (n = 30). Theta (6Hz) or sham (i.e., none) stimulation
will be applied to the forehead using Humm patches during 30min of training in participants’ homes, 4
days per week, for 4 weeks. Outcome measures will consist of cognitive/attention tasks, physiological
indices of sleep and stress (both in lab and at home via wearable sensors), and blood biomarkers of
aging (telomere length). This research will provide an important contribution toward understanding the
combination of tACS and meditation as a therapeutic tool for bolstering cognitive reserve and increasing
overall wellbeing in patients with MCI.
Terms: <21+ years old><AD dementia><AD related dementia><ADRD><Acceleration><Adult><Adult Human><Aging><Alzheimer Type Dementia><Alzheimer disease dementia><Alzheimer risk factor><Alzheimer sclerosis><Alzheimer syndrome><Alzheimer's><Alzheimer's Disease><Alzheimer's and related dementias><Alzheimer's disease and related dementia><Alzheimer's disease and related disorders><Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia><Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder><Alzheimer's disease or related dementia><Alzheimer's disease related dementia><Alzheimer's disease risk><Alzheimers Dementia><Amentia><Attention><Blood><Blood Reticuloendothelial System><Cephalic><Clinical Markers><Cognition><Cognitive><Cognitive Disturbance><Cognitive Impairment><Cognitive decline><Cognitive deficits><Cognitive function abnormal><Cognitive remediation><Combined Modality Therapy><Coupling><Cranial><Data><Dementia><Disturbance in cognition><Exhibits><Forehead><Foundations><Frequencies><Future><Goals><Home><Impaired cognition><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Length><Meditation><Monitor><Multimodal Therapy><Multimodal Treatment><Outcome Measure><Participant><Patients><Performance><Personal Satisfaction><Physiologic><Physiological><Pilot Projects><Placebos><Population><Prefrontal Cortex><Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia><Randomized, Controlled Trials><Reaction Time><Regulation><Research><Response RT><Response Time><Risk><Sham Treatment><Sleep><Stress><Subgroup><Testing><Therapeutic><Time><Training><adult youth><adulthood><aging biological marker><aging biomarker><aging marker><alzheimer risk><attentional control><body sensor><body worn sensor><cognitive ability><cognitive defects><cognitive dysfunction><cognitive enhancement><cognitive loss><cognitive reserve><cognitive task><combination therapy><combined modality treatment><combined treatment><decline in function><decline in functional status><dementia risk><determine efficacy><digital><efficacy analysis><efficacy assessment><efficacy determination><efficacy evaluation><efficacy examination><evaluate efficacy><examination questions><examine efficacy><functional decline><functional status decline><group intervention><high risk><homes><improved><improvement on sleep><indexing><interventional strategy><measurable outcome><mild cognitive disorder><mild cognitive impairment><multi-modal therapy><multi-modal treatment><natural aging><neural stimulation><neuropathologic><neuropathological><neuropathology><non-invasive brain stimulation><noninvasive brain stimulation><normal aging><normative aging><novel><older adult><older adulthood><outcome measurement><pilot study><pre-clinical><preclinical><prevent><preventing><primary degenerative dementia><psychomotor reaction time><randomized control trial><remediation><risk factor for dementia><risk for dementia><senile dementia of the Alzheimer type><sham therapy><sleep improvement><stress reactivity><stress reduction><sustained attention><telomere><tool><wearable biosensor><wearable sensor><wearable sensor technology><well-being><wellbeing><young adult><young adulthood>