At-home, long-term mild brain stimulation to improve thinking and walking in older adults at higher dementia risk
Official title: Long-term home-based transcranial electrical stimulation for cognitive and motor function in older adults with an increased risk of dementia: a randomized controlled trial
Funded at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged · NIH-11380628 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A personalized at-home mild brain stimulation program aims to improve thinking and walking in older adults with motoric cognitive risk for dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $334,973 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG081349-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11380628 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults with motoric cognitive risk (slower gait plus subjective cognitive complaints) who can follow home device instructions, use a smartphone app, and live within the study's service area.
✕Less likely to help
People without motoric cognitive risk, those with advanced dementia, implanted electronic devices or uncontrolled seizures, or those unable to manage the home device or smartphone monitoring may not benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
You would use a small, wearable transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device at home that is tailored to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. After everyone receives a 2-week open period of real stimulation, 128 participants are randomized in a double-blind, delayed-start design to either continue weekly tDCS sessions for six months or receive sham stimulation before switching. The study uses a smartphone app to measure walking while doing a thinking task (dual-task gait) along with other cognitive and motor tests, with staff support for home delivery and monitoring. The team is testing whether regular home-based stimulation produces longer-lasting improvements in cognition, gait, and risk markers for dementia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could produce lasting improvements in executive thinking and walking and reduce the chance of progressing toward Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier short-term pilot studies reported improvements in dual-task walking and executive function with tDCS, but long-term, home-based benefits have not yet been proven.
Where this research is happening
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Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Manor, Bradley D. — Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged
- Study coordinator: Manor, Bradley D.
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Home-based brain stimulation to improve thinking and walking in older adults at risk for dementia
This trial uses regular mild home-based brain stimulation to try to improve thinking and walking in older adults with motoric cognitive risk, a condition that raises the chance of developing dementia.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.