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Epidemiologists have reported an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease among people who have diabetes. A study published June 24, 2003, in the journal Neurology lends further support to a possible link between the two diseases.
Senior author of the study is Dr. Suzanne Craft, UW professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System.
Insulin is a hormone known for its role in controlling blood glucose levels. It also plays a role in memory and cognition. While insulin seems to promote neuronal health and may enhance mental ability in the short term, research also suggests that a dysfunction in insulin signaling may contribute to the cognitive impairment that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
In the study led by Craft, sixteen healthy, non-demented, adult volunteers from 55 to 85 years of age received an infusion of insulin or saline for 90 minutes. Then cerebral spinal fluid was collected through a lumbar puncture and analyzed. Each volunteer went through the procedure twice, once with insulin and once with saline. In this way, the volunteers acted as their own research controls.
The investigators found that insulin increased levels of beta amyloid protein in the cerebral spinal fluid of participants over age 70. Beta amyloid collects in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathology.
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