In a surprising turn of events, researchers have found a connection between Alzheimer’s disease and insulin receptors in the brain.
This new discovery reveals that a reduction in these receptors may contribute to Alzheimer’s. This connection can also lead to insulin resistance in the brain and the creation of harmful plaques.
This exciting research was conducted by a team from Université Laval and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and is published in the journal Brain.
Who Made This Discovery?
Frédéric Calon, a professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods and the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Center, led this groundbreaking research.
His team’s findings could influence how we look for new drugs to treat Alzheimer’s.
A New Approach to Alzheimer’s Treatment
Professor Calon explains that this discovery opens up new possibilities for Alzheimer’s treatments. “Several clinical trials are underway to assess the efficacy of diabetes drugs for Alzheimer’s disease.
Our study shows that drugs do not need to cross the blood-brain barrier of microvessels to affect brain insulin resistance.
They can target insulin receptors located in cerebral microvessels. That expands the range of drugs that could be tested for Alzheimer’s.”
The Research Process
The team’s research was made possible by a long-term study that started in 1993. This study included about 1,100 members of some 30 religious congregations in the United States.
These participants agreed to undergo yearly medical and psychological tests and donate their brains after death.
The findings published in Brain are based on data from 60 deceased individuals who participated in this large-scale study.
Key Findings
The researchers made several significant discoveries:
- Insulin receptors are mainly found in blood microvessels, not neurons, as previously believed.
- The presence of alpha-B insulin receptor subunits was less common in the microvessels of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
- Cognitive test scores were lower in people with fewer alpha-B insulin receptors in their microvessels.
- People with fewer alpha-B insulin receptors in their microvessels had more beta-amyloid plaques in their brains.
The researchers also studied transgenic mice and found that the number of alpha-B receptors in microvessels decreased with age and disease progression.
What Does This Mean?
Professor Calon said, “Our findings suggest that the loss of alpha-B insulin receptors in brain microvessels contributes to insulin resistance in the brain and cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.”
This discovery supports the idea that Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease with a strong metabolic component.
“Metabolic dysfunction exacerbates Alzheimer’s, and Alzheimer’s amplifies the metabolic problem. It’s a vicious circle,” said Professor Calon.
This research has uncovered a new, important link between Alzheimer’s disease and insulin receptors, opening up new possibilities for future treatments.
As science continues to uncover these connections, we come one step closer to understanding and possibly curing Alzheimer’s disease.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about Vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and Oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing flavonoid-rich foods could improve survival in Parkinson’s disease.
The study was published in Brain. Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
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