CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Cognito Therapeutics, a clinical-stage medical device company developing non-invasive neuroprotective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced new cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteomic and EEG biomarker data for its investigational therapy Spectris at the 18th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, held December 1–4, 2025, in San Diego, California.
The company presented two late-breaker posters that highlighted emerging evidence suggesting Spectris may modulate activity-dependent neuroplasticity and brain resilience pathways, while also slowing disease-related EEG progression in Alzheimer’s disease. These findings help reinforce the biologic foundation of the therapy and add context to earlier reports showing treatment-associated benefits in cognition, daily function and brain volume.
In a CSF proteomics analysis from the FLICKER trial, daily use of Spectris was associated with increased levels of Neuritin-1 (p<0.01), an activity-dependent neurotrophic factor involved in synaptic remodeling, dendritic stabilization and synaptic retention — key processes in maintaining brain structural plasticity. Lower Neuritin-1 levels have been observed in Alzheimer’s disease and correlate with cognitive decline and elevated CSF phosphorylated tau. Neuritin-1 is also a top-ranked protein in cognitive resilience modules linked to preserved cognition in Alzheimer’s trajectories.
Along with the increase in Neuritin-1, Spectris produced coordinated changes (all p<0.01) in proteins involved in immune regulation, oxidative stress and extracellular matrix remodeling, indicating potential effects across multiple pathways supporting neuroprotection and overall brain resilience.
A second late-breaker presentation detailed resting-state EEG findings from the OVERTURE randomized controlled trial. Over six months of treatment, participants using Spectris showed reduced progression of Alzheimer’s-associated EEG patterns, including shifts in theta/alpha ratio. These results align with previous observations of preserved structural and functional brain measures in participants receiving the therapy.
“The data presented at CTAD strengthen the biological foundation behind Spectris and show that a non-invasive, at-home therapy can engage pathways central to brain resilience and health,” said Christian Howell, CEO of Cognito Therapeutics. “The increase in Neuritin-1 and coordinated shifts in proteins related to synaptic stability and neuroprotection give us growing confidence that Spectris may be influencing mechanisms relevant to slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s. Combined with our EEG and earlier clinical findings, these results underscore Spectris’ potential as an accessible, at-home, disease-modifying therapy.”
