(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Could a new form of diabetes be to blame for the memory loss of Alzheimer’s disease?

Recent research has revealed levels of brain insulin are lower in patients with the Alzheimer’s and of a third form of diabetes may cause the disease, which results in loss of memory and, ultimately, death.

Now, researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago have discovered why brain insulin signaling -- crucial for memory formation -- would stop working in Alzheimer’s patients. The scientists report a toxic protein in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, making those neurons insulin resistant. The protein, called ADDL, is known to attack memory-forming synapses. The findings support a theory that ADDL builds up at the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease and blocks memory function by a process thought to be reversible.
 

“We think this is a major factor in the memory deficiencies caused by ADDLs in Alzheimer’s brains,” lead author William Klein, Ph.D., was quoted as saying. “We’re dealing with a fundamental new connection between two fields, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, and the implication is for therapeutics. We want to find ways to make those insulin receptors themselves resistant to the impact of ADDLs. And that might not be so difficult.”

The findings may help determine which parts of existing diabetes drugs may protect neurons from ADDL and improve insulin signaling in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers report drugs for type-2 diabetes could translate into much better Alzheimer’s treatments than what is currently available.

SOURCE: FASEB Journal, published online Sept. 26, 2007