Long-Term Care

Research find link between diabetes and Alzheimer's

Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, October 4, 2007

A recent study found an association between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, according to The FASEB Journal. Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois conducted the study, "Amyloid Beta Oligomers Induce Impairment of Neuronal Insulin Receptors," and discovered why brain insulin signaling stops working in Alzheimer's patients. According to the study, "Toxic protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering those neurons insulin resistant." The findings show that Alzheimer's could essentially be a "type 3" diabetes. Researchers may now be able to determine which parts of the existing drugs to treat diabetes could also be used to treat Alzheimer's, according to The FASEB Journal.

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