Article

Metabolic links between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037-1099, USA.
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 06/2009; 9(5):617-30. DOI:10.1586/ern.09.18 pp.617-30
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT There is a cluster of risk factors for Type 2 diabetes and vascular disease that include high blood glucose, obesity, high blood pressure, increased blood triacylglycerols and insulin resistance. All of these factors, both individually and collectively, increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia. Alterations in insulin signaling, glucose and fatty acid metabolism, as well as the accumulation of oxidatively modified and glycated proteins, are associated with both diabetes and the dementias. Data from animal and cell culture models have shown that there is a synergistic interaction between most of these stresses in both AD and diabetes, and with the elevated beta-amyloid peptide levels that are also linked to AD. Some of these parameters can be modified by diet and others may require novel drugs. However, because of the multiplicity of physiological pathways involved, conventional drug therapies directed against a single target are not going to be effective in treating AD or the complications of diabetes. It is therefore likely that the only successful therapy will involve the use of drugs with multiple targets in concert with changes in diet and lifestyle.

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Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

blood glucose
 
blood pressure
 
cell culture models
 
conventional drug therapies
 
dementias
 
drugs
 
elevated beta-amyloid peptide levels
 
fatty acid metabolism
 
glycated proteins
 
insulin resistance
 
insulin signaling
 
multiple targets
 
novel drugs
 
physiological pathways
 
risk factors
 
single target
 
successful therapy
 
synergistic interaction
 
Type 2 diabetes
 
vascular dementia
 

Pamela A Maher