{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T06:00:47Z","timestamp":1785477647669,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785456000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Aging Neurosci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) and represents a critical window for interventions aimed at slowing neurodegenerative progression. Disruptions in neural oscillatory activity are key contributors to memory dysfunction in MCI and AD. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that entrains neural oscillations at specific frequencies, potentially restoring network dynamics underlying memory.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The MemStim study is a randomized, sham-controlled, parallel-arm, double-blind clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of personalized, home-based gamma-frequency tACS over the left angular gyrus, delivered 5 days a week for 4\u202fweeks, in individuals with MCI. Safety and tolerability are monitored throughout the intervention. Forty participants aged \u226555\u202fyears with clinically diagnosed MCI will be recruited at the Geneva University Hospitals and randomized to active or sham stimulation. All participants undergo baseline and post-stimulation assessments, including cognitive testing, structural MRI, and high-density EEG (hdEEG). Individual MRI-based electric-field modeling personalizes stimulation montages targeting the left angular gyrus, a key node of the memory network.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Outcomes<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The primary outcome is the change in global cognitive function measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) from baseline to post-intervention. Secondary outcomes include changes in gamma-band oscillatory power measured with hdEEG. Exploratory EEG analyses will examine spectral, temporal, and spatial brain dynamics. Cognitive assessments are repeated 3 months post-intervention to evaluate persistence of effects.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This trial investigates whether personalized gamma-frequency tACS can modulate hdEEG measures of resting-state brain activity and improve memory function in MCI. By integrating individualized stimulation targeting, electrophysiological biomarkers, and remotely supervised home-based delivery, the MemStim study aims to advance personalized neuromodulation as a scalable therapeutic strategy for early intervention in cognitive decline.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Clinical trial registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:ext-link>ClinicalTrials.gov<\/jats:ext-link>\n                      , identifier NCT05708001.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnagi.2026.1882406","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T05:38:16Z","timestamp":1785476296000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Personalized, home-based transcranial alternating current stimulation for memory improvement in mild cognitive impairment: randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial protocol"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Lucie","family":"Br\u00e9chet","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Camille","family":"Bouhour","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vincent","family":"Rochas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]},{"name":"Foundation Campus Biotech","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Val\u00e9rie A.","family":"Mekrom","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed","family":"Eshmawey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Geriatric Psychiatry Service, University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG)","place":["Th\u00f4nex, Switzerland"]},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paul G.","family":"Unschuld","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Geriatric Psychiatry Service, University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG)","place":["Th\u00f4nex, Switzerland"]},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1548478","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2025.1548478","article-title":"Neuroplastic effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS): from mechanisms to clinical trials","volume":"19","author":"Agboada","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. 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