Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease (AD): TMSLA - a Monocentric Randomized Controlled Trial.
New amyloid-targeting drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) offer minimal or unclear efficacy and often cause adverse events, highlighting the need for new therapies. In recent years, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown increasing success. A recent randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, phase 2 demonstrated promising results from a 24-week rTMS treatment protocol targeting the precuneus. This brain region is considered a main hub of the human brain connectome and a prominent area of AD pathology. The results showed stable cognitive performance and increased brain activity in the treatment group, whereas the sham group worsened. A replication study is planned to further investigate the working mechanism of precuneus-rTMS in AD and to improve understanding of its therapeutic potential.
• Biomarker-supported Alzheimer's disease (abnormal CSF p-tau/Aβ42 ratio of \> 0.023 or amyloid PET positive).
• Between 50 and 85 years old.
• Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5 or 1.
• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score between 18 and 26.
• Presence of a caregiver.