Is Alzheimer's Disease a Third Form of Diabetes? Researchers Have Found a Link Between the Two

Researchers have discovered what they believe is a link between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. In a recent press release, Northwestern University announced that there is the possibility that memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease may be a third form of diabetes.

Researchers believe that as many as 4.5 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease affects the part of our brains that control thought, memory, and language. Many people mistakenly think that Alzheimer's is a natural part of aging. It is not. This is the first study that provides insight into the cause of Alzheimer's.

Researchers have determined that our brains need and use insulin in a very special way. Insulin in our brains is used for signaling, something that it critical for forming memories. This part of the brain process stops working when people have Alzheimer's disease.

When a person has Alzheimer's disease, their brains physically function differently than the brains of individuals without this disease. One of the differences is that nerve cells in people who do not have Alzheimer's disease have the ability to receive insulin. The brains of those who have Alzheimer's disease have a toxic protein within their brain that makes it impossible for their brain cells to receive insulin.

The toxic protein that stops insulin from joining with other nerve cells in the brain is named ADDL (amyloid ß-derived diffusible ligand). At the very beginning of Alzheimer's disease, research indicates that these ADDL proteins join together. By joining together, they begin to stop memory function.

Our brains need insulin and the ability to receive insulin to learn and make memories. When insulin binds itself to a nerve cell, this process starts a mechanism that is necessary for our nerve cells to survive and for memory cells to form.

Researchers believe that insulin cannot be used properly in the brain cells of individuals who develop Alzheimer's disease. The link between how our bodies use insulin, and Alzheimer's disease has lead researchers to question if Alzheimer's disease is another form of diabetes.