Could a simple home sensor reveal how a Vitamin-Like supplement affects Alzheimer's?
NCT ID NCT05245903
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a radio-wave sensor placed in the home can measure sleep, movement, and walking speed in 40 people with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's who are taking nicotinamide riboside (a form of vitamin B3). The goal is to find digital biomarkers that reflect changes in brain energy metabolism. The study does not test whether the supplement improves symptoms, but rather how well the sensor can track potential effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- nicotinamide riboside
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help identify digital biomarkers that track brain energy changes, potentially guiding future treatments for cognitive decline.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study focused on measuring outcomes, not testing effectiveness. The sensor technology may not reliably capture meaningful changes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2022
- Expected to finish
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May 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Subjects will be recruited from the existing pool of study subjects for the parent study (MGB IRB protocol #2020P001652, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517). Participation in this supplemental portion of the parent study will be elective for study subjects. Separate informed consent for the installation of the Emerald device will be used, and recruitment for this study will run concurrently with the parent project (IRB protocol #2020P001652, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517). All consented individuals will be targeted for supplemental recruitment for this project.
- Ages
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18 to 89 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Ability of the participant and/or his/her legally authorized representative to understand the purpose and risks of the study, to provide signed and dated informed consent, and to authorize the use of confidential health information. * Ability to speak and read fluently in English * 18-89 years old (inclusive) * Normal or corrected to normal hearing and vision * Meet clinical diagnostic criteria for MCI or Mild AD, according to the criteria outlined above * Study partner available for duration of trial participation * At least one copy of the APOE ε4 allele * An aggregate risk score \> 4 according to the risk analysis method developed by Sabbagh et al. (2017) * For individuals who are taking niacin (or a vitamin supplement with niacin) of \>200mg, the completion of a two-week wash-out period Exclusion Criteria: * Current serious or unstable medical or neurological condition that could affect cognitive functioning, as determined by study clinician * Clinically unstable mood or anxiety disorder within 6 months prior to screening, as determined by study clinician * Lifetime history of psychotic disorder (i.e. Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder), as determined by study clinician * Diagnosis of a mitochondrial disorder * Any MRI safety contraindications * History of drug hypersensitivity or intolerance to NR * Transient ischemic attack or stroke within 1 year prior to screening * History of alcohol or substance abuse within prior year, as determined by study clinician and urine toxicology screen * History of head injury rated as moderate or worse, per DSM-5 criteria * History of seizure within prior 10 years * Current use of medication with known adverse effects on cognition (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, opiate analgesics, first generation antipsychotic medication, anticholinergics, sedating antihistamines, tricyclic anti-depressants) * Change in dose of any psychiatric medications within 4 weeks of screening visit * Prior use of L-DOPA, any anti-Parkinsonian medication, or prior treatment with anti-amyloid immunotherapy * Current use of putative mitochondrial enhancers or antioxidants (e.g. carnitine, creatine, Co-Q10, N-acetyl cysteine, pramipexole) * Initiation of treatment or change in dosing of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) and memantine within 4 weeks of screening * Prior use of prescription narcotics 4 weeks before screening * Female subjects who are pregnant or breastfeeding * The current use of niacin (or a vitamin supplement with niacin) \>200mg within the last two weeks prior to study visit
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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McLean Hospital
RECRUITINGBelmont, Massachusetts, 02478, United States
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