discover in Brazil association between Alzheimer's and Diabetes
A Brazilian researcher managed to demonstrate an association between Alzheimer's evil and type 2 diabetes by successfully treated in laboratory brain cells affected by Alzheimer's with conventional medicines to serve diabetics.
The discovery was made by the biologist and neurologist Fernanda de Felio, a researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeirpart of the project.
According to Heldee, in recent years scientists around the world had already associated the two diseases and presented epidemiological evidence that, from the clinical point of view, patients with Alzheimer's have a greater tendency to present type 2 diabetes and vice versa.
The Brazilian researcher gave the first clues to understand this association by establishing that the hormone receptors insulin in neurons disappear in patients with Alzheimer's.
To confirm that thesis, the scientist, associated with Brazilian and American institutions, decided to treat people carrying Alzheimer's evil with a combination of insulin and rosiglitazone, both used to treat people with type 2 diabetes.
The tests done at the UFRJ Medical Biochemistry Institute showed that the experience at least in the laboratory is successful.
Diabetes medicines managed to stop the progress of the degenerative effects caused by Alzheimer's in laboratory and used brain cells.
"Before it was thought that the brain did not need insulin for its functioning, but the discovery of Felize confirms exactly the opposite. In addition to contributing to the process of obtaining energy so that the brain works, insulin also plays an important role inMemory formation, "according to Sergio Ferreira, which coordinated research in Brazil.
The experiment, he added, confirmed previous studies that had already shown that, in Alzheimer's carriers, neurons are more resistant to insulin and beneficial action.
According to the researcher, the study allows us to think about the hypothesis that Alzheimer's would be a new type of diabetes, type 3 diabetes, which barely affects the brain.
The Study of Felice deserved an article in the latest edition of the PNAS scientific journal.
The results of the work show that the damage induced by the researchers in healthRosiglitazone.
Researchers warn that, despite the successful laboratory results, other tests in animals and humans will still be necessary and that for them it is also necessary to define the therapeutic combinations that will be necessary.(Xinhua)