Published September 27, 2026, in Advanced Science, this randomized double-blind trial assigned 100 people with Alzheimer's disease to accelerated 40 Hz transcranial alternating-current stimulation, or tACS, over both temporal regions or to sham stimulation. Eighty-five participants completed the trial.
What changed Group-by-time analyses favored active stimulation for the ADAS-Cog total score, memory and praxis. The Mini-Mental State Examination comparison was not statistically significant.
A network signal Resting-state fNIRS at baseline and week four identified a family-wise corrected network involving 38 connections and 18 nodes. In the active group, connectivity changes were associated with selected cognitive changes. That association does not establish that the network change caused the cognitive result.
Why caution matters The abstract does not report cognitive effect sizes, allocation-specific attrition, stimulation dose, detailed safety results or longer-term functional outcomes. Fifteen randomized participants did not complete the trial, and larger multicenter studies with biomarkers are still needed.
Source and disclosure Authoritative abstract checked. Europe PMC lists five Ningbo and Lishui public or institutional grants, and the PubMed record reports no conflicts of interest. Prepared with AI assistance and source-checked September 28, 2026.