🏛️ Verified NIH Record • Updated 2026-07-14

Restructuring the Alpha-Gamma Code in Aging Vision (NCT07208318)

🟢 Recruiting Early Phase1 ⚙️ Medical Device Protocol Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus

🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)

Tests whether age-related visual deficits arise from disrupted alpha-gamma coupling in visual cortex (V1) and MT. Uses fMRI, source-resolved HD-EEG, and personalized complex-waveform HD-tACS to (1) quantify aging effects on phase-amplitude coupling, (2) drive PAC into a preferred "gamma-at-alpha-troughs" state, and (3) bidirectionally change perception by aligning gamma to alpha troughs vs peaks. Two five-day, double-blind, sham-controlled studies (n=120 each) target contrast sensitivity (V1) and 3D shape-from-motion (MT), aiming for mechanistic insight and remediation in older adults with implications for ADRD.

Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (2 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (13 items).

Location: 111 Cummington Mall, Boston University — Boston, Massachusetts

📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener

Instant Checklist

Check every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).

Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:

  • Exclusion Criteria:
  • not pregnant,
  • no metal implants in head,
  • no implanted electronic devices,
  • no history of neurological problems or head injury,
  • no skin sensitivity,
  • no claustrophobia,
  • no dementia (normal Mini Mental State Examination between 24-30; Montreal Cognitive Assessment \> 25)
  • no depression (normal Beck Depression Inventory II \<13; Geriatric Depression Scale \< 10)
  • no ophthalmological diseases (e.g., strabismus, glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration)
  • no history of psychosis
  • no cognitive deficits (MMSE score\>24; MoCA\>25)

🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.

📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)

  • 111 Cummington Mall, Boston University — Boston, Massachusetts

💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights

  • 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
  • Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
  • Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
🏛️ View Official NIH Record ↗