
Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease: shared pathology and treatment?
Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease: shared pathology and treatment?
Kawser Akter , Emily A Lanza , Stephen A Martin , Natalie Myronyuk , Melanie Rua , and Robert B Raffa
Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Professor Robert B. Raffa PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Temple University School of Pharmacy, 3307 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.Tel.: +1 215 707 4976 Fax: +1 215 707 5228 E-mail: [email protected]
Received 2010 May 28; Accepted 2010 Sep 22.
Copyright 2011 The British Pharmacological Society
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Epidemiological and basic science evidence suggest a possible shared pathophysiology between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has even been hypothesized that AD might be type 3 diabetes. The present review summarizes some of the evidence for the possible link, putative biochemical pathways and ongoing clinical trials of antidiabetic drugs in AD patients. The primary and review literature were searched for articles published in peer-reviewed sources that were related to a putative connection between T2DM and AD. In addition, public sources of clinical trials were searched for the relevant information regarding the testing of antidiabetic drugs in AD patients. The evidence for a connection between T2DM and AD is based upon a variety of diverse studies, but definitive biochemical mechanisms remain unknown. Additional study is needed to prove the existence or the extent of a link between T2DM and AD, but sufficient evidence exist
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