Gamma tACS to Improve Cognitive Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a decline in memory and thinking skills that isgreater than expected for a person's age but not severe enough to interfere substantiallywith daily life. Older adults with MCI are at increased risk of developing dementia, andthere are currently few effective treatments for the cognitive difficulties it causes.This study tests whether a form of non‐invasive brain stimulation called transcranialalternating current stimulation (tACS) can improve thinking and memory in older womenwith MCI. tACS delivers a weak electrical current that oscillates at a set frequencythrough electrodes placed on the scalp. In this study the current oscillates at 80 Hz, afrequency in the gamma range, because gamma brain rhythms are involved in memory andattention and are known to be disrupted in MCI and Alzheimer's disease.Thirty older women with MCI are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One groupreceives active 80 Hz tACS and the other receives sham (placebo) stimulation, in whichthe device is set up identically but no meaningful current is delivered. Participants andthe person delivering the stimulation do not know which group each participant is in.Both groups complete the same set of cognitive tests before and after the stimulationsessions. The tests measure overall cognitive status, planning ability, visuospatialworking memory, and reaction speed.The aim is to determine whether active 80 Hz tACS improves cognitive performance morethan sham stimulation in this population.