Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05245903

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

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.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Age range

18 year–89 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

About this study

The investigators will conduct a prospective, single-arm, non-interventional study using the Emerald device to monitor the behavior of individuals enrolled in the parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04430517). Investigators aim to enroll approximately 40 individuals aged 18 -89 (inclusive) with either MCI or mild AD who will have Emerald deployed in their home for up to 12 weeks, spanning the time of approval of parent study screening and formal study enrollment. The Emerald device is a radio-wave sensor that uses signal processing and machine learning algorithms to track the gait, movement, respiration, and sleep of subjects without physical contact or effort by the user, i.e. it neither requires the subject to wear a sensor nor record any data. Emerald works by transmitting low-powered radio signals, 1000x less than Wi-Fi, that reflect off of the subject and return back to the device. If the user moves their arm or leg, or their chest expands and contracts from breathing, that movement changes how the signal reflects off of their body. Emerald records these reflections and processes them using algorithms that convert the radio signals into movement data, breathing rate, sleep stages (Awake, Light, Deep and REM), and key sleep parameters. The device will be deployed in the bedroom of each subject to capture behavior continuously.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. Sleep efficiency

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

    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.

  2. Longitudinal time series of gait speed measurements

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

    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.

  3. Diurnal rhythm

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

    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.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Brent P Forester, MD, MSc

CONTACT

[email protected]

617-855-3622

Ipsit V Vahia, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

617-855-2300

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Mclean Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

Passive Sensor Identification of Digital Biomarkers to Assess Effects of Orally Administered Nicotinamide Riboside on Bioenergetic Metabolism, Oxidative Stress, and Cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Dementia

Acronym: Emerald-NRAD

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 18, 2022
Registry last updated
Nov 6, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.