# Accelerating Cognitive Gains from Digital Meditation with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation: A Pilot Study in MCI

> **NIH NIH R61** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2023 · $524,549

## Abstract

Abstract
The overall goal of this project is to collect pilot feasibility and early efficacy data showing improvements
in cognition and wellbeing in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through a combination
treatment of non-invasive brain stimulation (transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)) and a
novel form of closed-loop digital meditation (Meditrain). MCI is a transitional stage between normal
aging and dementia, and patients with MCI are at high risk of progressing onto Alzheimer’s disease
and other dementias. Non-invasive brain stimulation and focused-attention meditation are two
approaches that hold great promise for boosting cognitive abilities and enhancing wellbeing in OA at
risk of Alzheimer’s disease. While a handful of studies have combined neural stimulation with meditation
in healthy young adults, none have employed digital closed loop meditation nor examined this question
in a population at high risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, the goal of this proposed research is to collect
pilot data to test the hypothesis that coupling MediTrain with frequency-specific (i.e., theta) tACS
targeting frontal attention networks will lead to faster and/or greater magnitude of gains in cognitive
abilities, real-world indices of stress and sleep, and key blood biomarkers of aging in aMCI patients. To
accomplish these aims, we will conduction an RCT on 90 OA with aMCI who will be assigned to one of
three intervention groups: MediTrain + 6Hz tACS (n = 30), MediTrain + sham tACS (n = 30), or a
placebo (Worder app + sham tACS) intervention (n = 30). Theta (6Hz) or sham (i.e., none) stimulation
will be applied to the forehead using Humm patches during 30min of training in participants’ homes, 4
days per week, for 4 weeks. Outcome measures will consist of cognitive/attention tasks, physiological
indices of sleep and stress (both in lab and at home via wearable sensors), and blood biomarkers of
aging (telomere length). This research will provide an important contribution toward understanding the
combination of tACS and meditation as a therapeutic tool for bolstering cognitive reserve and increasing
overall wellbeing in patients with MCI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10584429
- **Project number:** 1R61AG080528-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** THEODORE P ZANTO
- **Activity code:** R61 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $524,549
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-02-15 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10584429

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10584429, Accelerating Cognitive Gains from Digital Meditation with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation: A Pilot Study in MCI (1R61AG080528-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10584429. Licensed CC0.

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