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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – WASHINGTON (September 13, 2011) – A small pilot study led by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) researcher found that a nasal insulin spray improved memory, thinking skills, and functional ability in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Currently, there are no effective treatments to delay or prevent
Alzheimer’s.
“This research builds on several years of preliminary work by an
innovative group of VA investigators and their colleagues, and we are
gratified to see the progress that is being made on behalf of Veterans
and all Americans who are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” said VA
Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert Petzel.
A VA team with the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at
the VA Puget Sound Health Care System led the trial, which was sponsored
in large part by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). The new findings appear in the Sept. 12
Archives of Neurology.
Previous studies found that low brain levels of insulin-the main hormone
that turns sugar in the bloodstream into energy for cells-could
contribute to Alzheimer’s. Based on these findings, VA’s Dr. Suzanne
Craft has led efforts to test the benefits of restoring normal insulin
function in the brain.
The new study tested a nasal spray that delivers insulin quickly and
directly to the brain, with no harmful side effects, such as increased
insulin levels throughout the whole body. The trial included 104 adults
with either amnestic mild cognitive impairment-in which people have
memory loss that may progress to Alzheimer’s-or mild to moderate
Alzheimer’s disease.
The study volunteers received 20 international units (IU) of insulin, 40
IU of insulin, or a saline placebo, which were all given through a nasal
delivery device for four months. Memory, cognition and functional
ability were measured before and after treatment. Some participants
also received spinal taps to test cerebrospinal fluid as well as brain
scans before and after treatment. Treatment with 20 IU of intranasal
insulin improved memory, and both doses of insulin preserved general
cognition and functional ability. These results warrant larger trials
of insulin nasal-spray therapy to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease or
slow its progression.
VA Chief Research and Development Officer Dr. Joel Kupersmith stated,
“VA researchers are exploring a number of possible approaches to help
prevent or effectively treat this devastating disease, and these are
among the most promising results to date. We are proud to partner with
NIH in supporting this vital work.”
For more information on VA research, visit www.research.va.gov
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