Internal medicine

Neuroscience

Carbohydrate metabolism

Disease

Biology

Insulin receptor

Endocrinology

Insulin resistance

Neurodegeneration

Insulin

Proteostasis

Alzheimer's disease

Genetics

Medicine

The Lancet Neurology

Insulin is a peptide secreted by the pancreas and plays an important role in the regulation of glucose metabolism in peripheral tissues. Although the role of insulin in the periphery is well understood, less is known about its multifactorial role in the brain. However, emerging evidence from human and animal studies indicate that insulin influences cerebral bioenergetics, enhances synaptic viability and dendritic spine formation, and increases turnover of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. Insulin also has a role in proteostasis, influencing clearance of the amyloid β peptide and phosphorylation of tau, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

Brain insulin resistance in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders: mechanisms and therapeutic approaches