Passive Sensor Identification of Digital Biomarkers to Assess Effects of Orally Administered Nicotinamide Riboside

NCT05245903 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2021P003275
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project's main goal is to use state-of-the-art passive sensing techniques to identify digital biomarkers that relate to bioenergetic changes in the brain due to nicotinamide riboside supplementation in those with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's dementia.

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease; Dementia Alzheimers; Dementia; Cognitive Impairment; Mild Cognitive Impairment; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Neurocognitive Dysfunction; Cognitive Dysfunction; Mental Disorder

Keywords

Passive sensing; Digital phenotyping; Alzheimer's Dementia; Mild Cognitive Impairment; Digital biomarker

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Sleep efficiency

  Sleep efficiency will be measured by the Emerald as a ratio of the total sleep time to the time in bed supplemented by tracking participants' wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep latency, and number of awakenings per night.

  Week 0 to week 12 of parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517)

• Longitudinal time series of gait speed measurements

  Gait speed will be measured by the Emerald device and developed into a longitudinal time series of gait speed (meters per second) throughout the 12-week study.

  Week 0 to week 12 of parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517)

• Diurnal rhythm

  The diurnal rhythms of study participants will be extracted by using the Emerald device to track patients' spatial location within their living environment and quantifying levels and patterns of motion. This will serve as a marker of psychomotor activity.

  Week 0 to week 12 of parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517)

Study Arms (1)

Parent Study Participants

The single group in this study will consist of individuals enrolled in the parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517). We aim to enroll approximately 40 individuals aged 18 -89 (inclusive) with either MCI or mild AD who will have the Emerald device deployed in their home for up to 12 weeks, spanning the time of approval of parent study screening and formal study enrollment.

Device: Emerald Device Monitoring

Interventions

Emerald Device Monitoring DEVICE

The study participants will have the Emerald device deployed in their home for up to 12 weeks as they participate in the parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517). The device will be deployed in the bedroom of each subject to capture behavior continuously. The Emerald device is a radio-wave sensor that will use signal processing and machine learning algorithms to track the gait, movement, respiration, and sleep of these subjects via low-powered radio signals. Reflections of the radio signals are processed using algorithms to convert them into movement data, sleep stages, and key sleep parameters. These data will supplement bioenergetic, imaging, and biochemical data with digital biomarkers and phenotyping using this device.

Parent Study Participants

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 89 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

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.

You may qualify if:

• 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
• 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

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mclean Hospital: lead
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

McLean Hospital

Belmont, Massachusetts, 02478, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease; Dementia; Cognitive Dysfunction; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Mental Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Tauopathies

Central Study Contacts

Ipsit V Vahia, MD

CONTACT

617-855-2300; ivahia@mclean.harvard.edu

Brent P Forester, MD, MSc

CONTACT

617-855-3622; bforester@mclean.harvard.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2021
• First Posted: February 18, 2022
• Study Start: May 31, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Last Updated: November 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)