# The benefits of nicotinamide riboside upon cognition and sleep in older veterans

> **NIH NIH R00** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 2024 · $249,000

## Abstract

Project summary/ abstract
Candidate: My overarching goal is to promote healthy aging through quality sleep as an independent
nurse-scientist. My clinical training in geriatrics and behavioral sleep medicine and my pre-clinical
fellowship in sleep and circadian disruptions lay the foundation for my expertise to reach this goal. This
proposal will permit training in basic sciences applied to human studies to support the understanding of
molecular mechanisms of poor sleep and cognitive impairment in older adults and their underlying
interactions. The career development proposed in this application will empower my growth as an emerging
leader from an underrepresented background with previous awards from the Sleep Research Society and
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Mentors and Environment: A prominent team of mentors and consultants has been assembled for this
project. My primary mentor, Dr. Bruce Troen (Geriatrics) is an internationally recognized geriatrician and
geroscientist. He will be assisted by co-mentors Dr. Rebecca Lorenz (Nursing, Geriatric, Sleep), Dr.
Brienne Miner (Geriatrics, Sleep), Dr. Kenneth Seldeen (Geriatrics, Biochemistry); and advisors Dr.
Nikhil Satchidanand (Geriatrics, Cognition), and Dr. Chang-Xing Ma (Biostatistics). We have created a
training program to nurture research and leadership skills based upon the University at Buffalo and Yale
University programs on geriatrics and sleep research for successul execution of the career development
and reseach project outlined in this application.
Mentored Research Project: Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration are associated with cognitive
impairment in older adults and may be candidate mechanism underlying Alzheimer’s Disease and other
dementias via impaired mitochondrial function and/or a reduced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF). Our previous work indicated that enhancing the availability of nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide (NAD+) improves physical performance and cognition in aged mice and may reduce
cognitive decline and support sleep quality by boosting mitochondrial function and enhancing BDNF
expression. We propose to build upon a VA-funded randomized clinical trial investigating the effects of
supplementation with the NAD+ precursor, nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3, upon physical
performance in older adults, by examining the benefits of NR on sleep quality, objective sleep duration,
and cognition in older adults. To accomplish these goals, we will assess sleep quality, objective sleep and
cognitive function, as well as examine serum levels of BDNF of participants who receive a three-month
supplementation with NR or placebo. This proposal will confirm the potential of NR as a low-risk and
low-cost intervention for both healthy sleep and optimized cognitive function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11126955
- **Project number:** 4R00AG079117-03
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **Principal Investigator:** Carleara Weiss
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $249,000
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11126955

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11126955, The benefits of nicotinamide riboside upon cognition and sleep in older veterans (4R00AG079117-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11126955. Licensed CC0.

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