Intravenous Administration of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Improves Cognitive Performance in Human Subjects: Implications for Clinical Populations

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> This pilot study was part of a larger study aimed at characterizing the pharmacokinetic profile of intravenous nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and measured cognitive performance following IV NAD+ in healthy male subjects. We hypothesized that IV NAD+ would improve cognitive performance scores as compared to baseline performance. <h3>Design</h3> Randomized, controlled study. <h3>Setting</h3> Private mental health treatment center located in Springfield, LA. <h3>Participants</h3> Fifteen healthy male participants (4 Saline/11 IV NAD+) between the ages of 30-55 met inclusion criteria. <h3>Interventions</h3> Participants received 5 consecutive days of IV NAD+ (750 mg/day) or saline infusions <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Researchers used the MicroCog™ Assessment of Cognitive Function to measure cognitive abilities on three levels: (Level 1) Attention, reaction time, memory, reasoning and spatial processing; (Level 2) Information processing speed and accuracy; and (Level 3) Global cognitive functioning and global cognitive proficiency. Participants completed baseline assessment (DAY 0) and repeated the task after the end of the IV infusion protocol (DAY 6). <h3>Results</h3> No differences between SAL and NAD+ groups were noted on DAY 0 in any of the 8 subtests evaluated. However, groups showed differences in the magnitude of improvement over days compared to their respective baselines. The NAD+ group reached significance on 6/8 tests, while the SAL group showed significant improvement on 2/8 tests. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The findings when compared to respective baseline performance scores indicated a greater magnitude of change over and above "practice effects". These results combined with case reports in Parkinson's disease patients suggest that implementation of a standardized cognitive assessment is a practical and effective way to establish efficacy of IV NAD+ treatment for clinical conditions involving cognitive impairment <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> Dr. R. Mestayer is a director of NAD+ Research Inc., and medical director of the Springfield Wellness Center that uses IV NAD+ as a clinical therapy. Dr. Broom-Gibson received consulting fees from NAD+ Research Inc.