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Friday 16 January 2015

Nasal spray may treat Alzheimer’s, say scientists



A nasal spray that contains a man-made form of insulin may improve working memory and other mental capabilities in adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s, scientists have found. The study led by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center studied 60 adults diagnosed with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia (AD).
Researchers found that those who received nasally administered 40 international unit (IU) doses of insulin detemir, a manufactured form of the hormone, for 21 days showed significant improvement in their short-term ability to retain and process verbal and visual information compared with those who received 20 IU doses or a placebo.
Recipients of 40 IU doses carrying the APOE-e4 gene - known to increase the risk for Alzheimer’s - recorded significantly higher scores than those who received the lower dosage, while non-carriers across all three groups posted significantly lower scores. Previous trials had shown promising effects of nasally administered insulin for adults with AD and MCI, but this study was the first to use insulin detemir.

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