IHT for Mild Cognitive Impairment

This study is testing a treatment called Intermittent Hypoxia Training (IHT) for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), which is a condition that can affect memory. IHT involves breathing air with lower oxygen levels for short periods, followed by breathing regular air. Researchers want to see if this treatment is safe and if it can improve cognitive function (thinking and memory skills). You might be able to join if you are between 55 and 79 years old and have been diagnosed with MCI. The study will look at how your overall cognitive function, attention, short-term memory, and verbal memory change after 12 weeks of treatment. The current status of this study is unclear, and it plans to enroll up to 66 participants.

Study design: This interventional study plans to enroll up to 66 participants aged 55-79 with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Participants will be assigned to either the IHT Treatment group or a Sham-IHT Control group.
What's involved: You would visit the lab multiple times for assessments and to receive either the IHT or sham-IHT intervention. Each session involves 8 cycles of breathing different oxygen levels for up to 5 minutes, 3 times a week, for up to 12 weeks.
Compensation: Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up: The primary outcomes, such as cognitive function and memory, will be measured after 12 weeks of intervention.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

IHT for Mild Cognitive Impairment

Recruiting

NAAges 55–79InterventionalTreatment

University of North Texas Health Science Center

~66 participants

Updated 2026-04-29 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What's tested:IHT TreatmentSham-IHT Control

At a glance

Recruiting sites

1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now

RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open

What they're measuring

Overall Cognitive Function

Measured over Change from baseline after 12-week interventions

+3 more outcomes measured

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Memory Impairment

NCT05495087

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

University of North Texas Health Science Center
Fort Worth, Texasstudy coordinator listed
Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Who to contact

Xiangrong Shi, PhD

[email protected]

817-735-2073

Email the study team

Opens a ready-to-send draft in your own email app — review before sending.

Want this trial checked against your situation?

Add a private profile and we'll compare every criterion below against your situation — and tell you which ones are met, uncertain, or excluding.

Check eligibility for this trial ~2 min · HIPAA-protected · delete anytime

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Adult men and women ages 55 to 79 years old who have been diagnosed with MCI.

Must be willing to be assigned to either group: treatment or sham-treatment control.

Able to pay multiple visits to the lab for the proposed assessments.

Able to breathe moderately hypoxic air via an air-cushioned, disposable facemask.

To have controlled stabilized chronic conditions of at least 6 months duration, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes or metabolic disease, chronic bronchitis, degenerative osteoporosis or arthritis and/or other aging-related chronic conditions.

Must be depression-free at the time of enrollment.

Must have arterial oxygen saturation at or above 95% and cerebral tissue oxygenation at or above 50% at rest.

Woman subject must be post-menopausal.

Exclusion

Unwilling to sign a written consent to participate in this double-blinded placebo-controlled phase I trial.

Diagnosed with AD-dementia or have impaired independent daily functioning; with MMSE \<20 and/or CDR ≥1.

Unable to visit the lab independently.

Claustrophobic to facemask and hyper-reactive to hypoxia exposure.

Expecting any major surgery or transplant.

Have un-controlled chronic conditions including systolic-diastolic pressures over 150/90 mmHg with medications, diabetes, chronic renal failure (based on the medical history questionnaire), recurrent chest pain, seizures or epilepsies, moderate to severe carotid stenosis or calcification, brain aneurysm, uncontrolled allergic rhinitis, pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema, cancer, infectious disease, atrial fibrillation, regular pre-mature ventricular contractions, myocardial ischemia or infarct, 2nd or 3rd degree atrio-ventricular blockade.

Have severe head injury or traumatic brain injury, stroke (hemorrhagic and/or ischemic).

Have currently diagnosed depression.

Currently have COVID-19.

Have any metallic implants or who are claustrophobic.

Currently participating in any interventional study and/or have been previously exposed to hypoxia, such as residing more than two months at altitudes above 5000 ft. within the past 3 years or previously participated in a hypoxia training study.

What this trial measures

Overall Cognitive FunctionChange from baseline after 12-week interventions
Change in scores or points (from 0 to 30) in Mini-mental State Examination. Higher scores indicate better testing performance or function.
Attention and Short-term MemoryChange from baseline after 12-week interventions with IHT or sham-IHT
Change in scores or points in California-Verbal Learning Test - 2nd edition (CVLT-II), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised (BVMT-R). Immediate Free-Recall (FR) and delay FR for word-verbal memory and visuospatial memory.
Cognitive Function in digit-verbal memoryChange from baseline after 12-week interventions
Change in scores or points in Digit-Span test - Forward, backward and sequence. Digit-Span recalls test attention and short-term memory. More correct recalls indicate better testing performance and function in digit-verbal memory.
Visual Orientation and Executive FunctionChange from baseline after 12-week interventions
Change in time to complete Trail-making tests. Less time (in sec) to complete the tests indicates better performance and function in executive function, attention and processing speed.

Trialytics