June 7, 2005

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Do you find you are more forgetful as you get older? Is it more difficult to remember where you left the car keys or where you parked your car? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a new clinical research study.

Calvin H. Hirsch, UC Davis professor of general medicine, and his associates at the UC Davis General Medicine Research Clinic are seeking men and women to participate in a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of an investigational drug as an oral treatment for age associated memory impairment. Age associated memory impairment is a condition associated with aging that is marked by memory loss and poor concentration. The 18-week study is expected to include 174 subjects nationwide.

The investigational drug, ispronicline, is being developed by Targacept, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Ispronicline stimulates receptors in the brain that regulate attention/concentration, memory and mood. In a variety of preclinical studies, ispronicline exhibited memory-enhancing properties. Later studies by Targacept evaluated the safety and tolerability of ispronicline in humans. The goal of this research study is to assess ispronicline’s effects on cognition in individuals with age associated memory impairment.

Subjects must be between the ages of 50 and 80 and have someone living with them who can report on their cognitive function. Individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, or who take medication for memory problems, are not eligible to participate. After an extensive initial screening to determine if their cognitive function meets the study criteria, those chosen for the study will take either a daily dose of ispronicline or a placebo (an inactive substance).

Throughout the study, each subject will come to the clinic and take a battery of cognitive tests to determine if his or her cognitive function has improved.

For more information regarding this study, contact Linly Kwong or Katie Dodds at (916) 734-0160 or linly.kwong@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu or katie.dodds@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Targacept, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company engaged in the design, discovery and development of drugs to treat central nervous system diseases and disorders.