Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Enhance Memory in Aging

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Alzheimer Disease; Aging

• Registration Number: NCT07214194
• Lead Sponsor: Stanford University

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to determine whether non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation enhances memory formation in cognitively healthy older adults and whether the effects of stimulation depend on gut and brain health.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-10
• Study First Submitted: 2025-10-02
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-10-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-10-02
• Study First Posted: 2025-10-09
• Last Update Posted: 2025-10-09
• Study Start: 2027-02-01
• Primary Completion: 2028-07
• Study Completion: 2028-07-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 150

Inclusion Criteria

• Ages 18-30 years or 65-80 years
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (visual acuity)
• Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnant
• Symptoms of memory loss
• History of a neurological, psychiatric, or medical condition that could affect cognition or preclude MRI or pupillometry
• Use of medications known to alter cognition
• For older adults, neuropsychological performance that falls outside 1.5 standard deviations of age-adjusted norms and no self-reported memory or attention complaints

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Recognition Memory (d-prime)	post-active vs post-sham stimulation; up to 2 hours of task	d' is a signal-detection sensitivity index-how well participants discriminate old (studied) from new (unstudied) items, independent of response bias. Computed as d' = Z(hit rate) - Z(false-alarm rate) from the old/new recognition memory test. Primary analysis is within-person Δhigh-confidence d' (based on "sure old" responses in the 4-point "sure old", "unsure old", "unsure new", "sure new" scale, Δ = active - sham) and Δoverall d' (based on "sure old" and "unsure old" responses). Main comparison is older vs. young, and within the older group also testing moderation by gut-brain axis measures and interactions with preclinical Alzheimer's disease pathology (pTau217, pTau181, Aβ42:40).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Stanford University; 🇺🇸 Stanford, California, United States