4/24/2026
FAU Seeks Older Adults for Alzheimer’s Study
A new research study aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine are conducting an observational brain imaging study to better understand Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by examining changes in brain levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a molecule essential for cellular energy. Using advanced MRI techniques, the study aims to determine whether NAD can serve as a biomarker for AD progression and response to potential treatments.
The study will enroll 20 adults ages 65 to 80, including 10 individuals diagnosed with AD and 10 cognitively healthy volunteers. Participants will attend two morning visits approximately eight months apart for cognitive testing, brain MRI scans, and blood and urine collection, contributing valuable data that may support the development of future therapies for AD.
“This research is focused on detecting changes in brain NAD levels in Alzheimer’s disease using advanced MRI,” said Corinne I. Lasmézas, DVM, Ph.D., principal investigator, professor in FAU’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences within the Schmidt College of Medicine, and director of the David and Lynn Nicholson Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. “By participating in this important study, you will help researchers accelerate the development of treatments to prevent, slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”