Alzheimer’s may be third type of diabetes

Findings by U.S. researchers of Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill., support the idea that Alzheimer’s memory loss is associated to a novel, third type of diabetes.

The study was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal and one of its conclusion is that a toxic protein found in Alzheimer’s patients — amyloid-beta derived diffusible ligand, or ADDL — prevents insulin receptors from accumulating at the synapses where they are needed. ADDL acts  by removing insulin receptors from nerve cells turning them insulin resistant and then stopping brain insulin signaling significant for memory.

According to team conclusion, the fundamental new connection between two fields — diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease — offers hope for therapeutic targets.