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Insulin: An Emerging Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia?

  • Dementia (KS Marder, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates a role for metabolic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is widely reported that Type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk of developing AD, and several postmortem analyses have found evidence of insulin resistance in the AD brain. Thus, insulin-based therapies have emerged as potential strategies to slow cognitive decline in AD. The main methods for targeting insulin to date have been intravenous insulin infusion, intranasal insulin administration, and use of insulin sensitizers. These methods have elicited variable results regarding improvement in cognitive function. This review will discuss the rationale for targeting insulin signaling to improve cognitive function in AD, the results of clinical studies that have targeted insulin signaling, and what these results mean for future studies of the role of insulin-based therapies for AD.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are supported by the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Center (P30AG03598). Dr. Burns is also supported by R01AG034614, R01AG033673, and UL1 RR033179.

Disclosure

J. K. Morris: none; J. M. Burns: speakers’ bureaus (Novartis).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Fairway, KS, 66205, USA

    Jill K. Morris & Jeffrey M. Burns

  2. KU Medical Center Clinical Research Center, Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Mail Stop 6002, 4350 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS, 66205, USA

    Jeffrey M. Burns

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  1. Jill K. Morris
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Correspondence to Jeffrey M. Burns.

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Morris, J.K., Burns, J.M. Insulin: An Emerging Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia?. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 12, 520–527 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-012-0297-0

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