Memory Improvement Through Nicotine Dosing (MIND) Study

Summary

The purpose of the study is to see if daily transdermal nicotine is able to produce a significant cognitive, clinical and functional improvement in participants with MCI. Neuronal nicotinic receptors have long been known to play a critical role in memory function in preclinical studies, with nicotine improving attention, learning, and memory function. The study will enroll 380 participants for a 2 year period. Participants will be randomized (50:50) to either the transdermal nicotine, beginning at 7mg/day, and increasing to 21mg/day, or placebo skin patch.

Timeline

Start

2017-01-13

Primary completion

2025-08-25

Completion

2025-09-16

Publications

• Background Newhouse PA, Potter A, Corwin J, Lenox R. Age-related effects of the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine on cognition and behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1994 Apr;10(2):93-107. doi: 10.1038/npp.1994.11.
• Background Newhouse P, Kellar K, Aisen P, White H, Wesnes K, Coderre E, Pfaff A, Wilkins H, Howard D, Levin ED. Nicotine treatment of mild cognitive impairment: a 6-month double-blind pilot clinical trial. Neurology. 2012 Jan 10;78(2):91-101. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31823efcbb.
• Background Dumas J, Hancur-Bucci C, Naylor M, Sites C, Newhouse P. Estrogen treatment effects on anticholinergic-induced cognitive dysfunction in normal postmenopausal women. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006 Sep;31(9):2065-78. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301042. Epub 2006 Feb 15.
• Background Newhouse PA, Dumas J, Hancur-Bucci C, Naylor M, Sites CK, Benkelfat C, Young SN. Estrogen administration negatively alters mood following monoaminergic depletion and psychosocial stress in postmenopausal women. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2008 Jun;33(7):1514-27. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301530. Epub 2007 Aug 15.
• Background Newhouse PA, Sunderland T, Tariot PN, Blumhardt CL, Weingartner H, Mellow A, Murphy DL. Intravenous nicotine in Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1988;95(2):171-5. doi: 10.1007/BF00174504.
• Joe E, Ringman JM. Cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease: clinical management and prevention. BMJ. 2019 Dec 6;367:l6217. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l6217.

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Indications