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High doses of nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, appear to prevent memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease. Studies have been so encouraging that researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have launched a human trial. In the mice, nicotinamide lowered levels of a protein that leads to development of a brain lesion characteristic of Alzheimer's. The researchers added nicotinamide to the mice's drinking water and then tested the animals' short and long-term memory over time. The Alzheimer's mice given nicotinamide performed as well as normal mice in the water-maze and object recognition tests. When given to normal mice, the nicotinamide slightly increased their cognitive abilities, a finding that led one of the study leaders to suggest that the vitamin might improve some aspects of normal memory in humans. (While nicotinamide is generally safe, it can be toxic at very high doses.)The study was published online November 5, 2008 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The researchers are recruiting volunteers for Alzheimer's patients 50 years of age or older for their human study. Participation involves taking the vitamin or a placebo twice a day for 24 weeks.