A new national medical research project is getting underway in Tulsa. Researchers are looking to use an experimental drug to treat people with early on-set memory loss. Doctor Paul Newhouse says they will use nicotine.
Nicotine stimulates certain cells in the brain that can enhance brain function, and MIND researchers are using that benefit to test whether they can improve or alleviate symptoms of memory loss in people who have Mild memory loss or Mild Cognitive Impairment. It could have could have significant benefits when it comes to treating MCI, because it is an inexpensive, readily available treatment.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 15 to 20 percent of people age 65 or older have MCI and are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Researchers have been using nicotine in studies for more than 30 years, but this is by far the largest and longest running study of its kind testing whether nicotine is effective for non-smokers with mild memory loss.
The MIND Study is funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and led by Vanderbilt University and the University of Southern California’s Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute.
Locally, the study will be conducted by Tulsa Clinical Research. More information at http://MINDStudy.org