The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Lyme Clinical Trials Network is looking for volunteers to join a research study testing whether a gentle form of brain stimulation can help with ongoing cognitive symptoms after Lyme disease.

This study is for people who were treated for Lyme disease but still experience issues such as brain fog, slowed thinking, trouble concentrating, or other cognitive difficulties that began during or after their infection and have continued even after two courses of antibiotics.

The treatment being studied is called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). It’s a non‑invasive technique that uses a very low, painless electrical current applied to the scalp.

In this study, tDCS is combined with computerized cognitive training exercises to see whether the two together can improve thinking and processing speed.

Everyone in the study completes the same cognitive training program, but participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups:

• one group receives active tDCS,
• the other receives sham tDCS, which feels the same but does not deliver active stimulation.

Previous research has shown that combining tDCS with cognitive training can improve skills such as attention, processing speed, and impulse control. The cognitive exercises used in this study come from the BrainHQ platform, which is designed to strengthen processing speed, working memory, and attention.

The program is easy to use, includes guided tutorials, and automatically adjusts to each person’s performance. BrainHQ alone has been shown in several studies to improve cognitive function, even without tDCS.

Four in-person visits

The study lasts about 12 weeks and involves four in‑person visits at UCSF’s research center in San Francisco.

If you’re interested in participating, you can fill out the screening survey here:

If you have questions, you can email the study team at lyme@ucsf.edu.

This research is funded by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation (BALF) and the Clinical Trials Network for Lyme and other Tick-borne Diseases, established through a grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

Note: Those on the East Coast can apply to join a similar study in New York City. Details: Columbia recruiting for clinical trial aimed at easing Lyme brain fog