The link between Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease has often been highlighted. Doctors know that diabetes, which prevents proper irrigation of the brain, increases the risk of dementia. But for the first time, a study suggests that the proximity of the two diseases could be stronger than we think, suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease could, conversely, lead to type 2 diabetes.
This discovery by a team of researchers from the University of Aberdeen (Great Britain) opens up new therapeutic avenues. Researchers suggest that some drugs used to regulate blood sugar could potentially be beneficial for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain activity improved by anti-diabetics
Early tests in mice that had been genetically engineered to develop a form of Alzheimer’s disease showed that the rodents’ brain activity improved dramatically when they were given liraglutide, a recent antidiabetic drug given to stimulate insulin production.
The researchers believe that the drug stimulates the activation of certain areas of the brain which are destroyed in the event of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
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