Alzheimer’s Disease could be Caused by a New Type 3
Diabetes
December 4th
2005
|
 |
|
Alzheimer's
Diabetes Link |
|
Researchers may see a connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s
disease. In fact, according to researchers, Alzheimer’s may be a third
type of diabetes. The researchers examined insulin and the insulin
receptor function in an area of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s
disease.
The study compared the brain tissues of people who died at various
stages of the disease. Postmortem brain tissue of 45 patients with
normal aging or different degrees of Alzheimer’s neurodegeneration,
termed “Braak Stages” was examined.
The research conducted at the Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical
School discovered that the insulin receptors dropped off significantly
in the brain even in the early stages of the disease. The number of
receptors continues to drop off as the disease progresses.
The levels of insulin receptors in the brain decreased with the
increased severity of the disease. The lower levels of insulin
receptors impaired the brain’s ability to respond to insulin. Previous
research found that Alzheimer’s patients were deficient in
acetylcholine, a brain enzyme. Insulin plays a role in the production
of acetylcholine.
Insulin and IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor I) stimulate the
expression of choline acetyltransferase (or ChAT). ChAT is the enzyme
responsible for making acetylcholine. This shows a direct link between
insulin and IGF-I deficiency and dementia. The insulin “impairment” is
linked to major neurotransmitters responsible for cognition.
Acetylcholine carries the signals among the neurons and helps in the
cognitive thinking process. Without insulin the brain is unable to make
acetylcholine. This new finding could lead to a treatment to
Alzheimer’s disease, especially if it is caught early.
Footnote concerning IGF-I: Cancer Biology reports that “IGF-I may
facilitate cancer development though it likely does not cause cancer to
form’. More research is need to see what and if there is a connection.
By Dan Wilson
Best Syndication Staff Writer
Books on Diabetes
Keywords and misspellings: diabetes diabets
diabetic diabetec diabetic's alzymers alzeimers altimers altymers
|
RSS Feed to our diabetes
content
