Early intranasal insulin therapy halts progression of neurodegeneration: progress in Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics

Abstract

Evaluation of: Craft S, Baker LD, Montine TJ et al. Intranasal insulin therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a pilot clinical trial. Arch. Neurol. 69(1), 29–38 (2011). Alzheimer’s disease is associated with brain insulin deficiency and insulin resistance, similar to the problems in diabetes. If insulin could be supplied to the brain in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, subsequent neurodegeneration might be prevented. Administering systemic insulin to elderly nondiabetics poses unacceptable risks of inadvertant hypoglycemia. However, intranasal delivery directs the insulin into the brain, avoiding systemic side effects. This pilot study demonstrates both efficacy and safety of using intranasal insulin to treat early Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment (i.e., the precursor to Alzheimer’s). Significant improvements in learning, memory and cognition occurred within a few months, but without intranasal insulin, brain function continued to deteriorate in measurable degrees. Intranasal insulin therapy holds promise for halting progression of Alzheimer’s disease.