Surprisingly, insulin is touted to have a positive impact on patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. As per a study conducted by scientists from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a nasal insulin spray may enhance memory, thinking capabilities, and functional aptitudes in individuals suffering from mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s syndrome.
Presently there is no method to delay or prohibit Alzheimer’s. Also, initial studies have shown that low levels of insulin in the brain could lead to this condition.
VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert Petzel specified, “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.”
The scientists tested a nasal spray that transfers insulin swiftly and directly to the brain, without any other toxic effects like elevated insulin proportions all over the body. The trial constituted 104 adults with amnestic mild cognitive damage or weaker forms of the disease.
A nasal delivery device administered 20 international units (IU) of insulin, 40 IU or a saline placebo to the participants for a span of 4 months. Factors like memory, cognition and functional ability were calculated before and after the trial. Some subjects were given spinal taps to evaluate cerebrospinal fluid and brain scans prior to and after the test.
As per the outcomes, those who received 20 IU of intranasal insulin apparently saw improvements in their memory. Both doses of insulin conserved normal cognition and functional ability. Larger experiments using this insulin nasal-spray therapy to prevent and delay Alzheimer’s are underway.
The new findings appear in the Archives of Neurology.