scholarly journals Dementia and diabetes mellitus

2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 170-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Pavlovic ◽  
Aleksandra Pavlovic

Dementia and Diabetes mellitus (DM) are major health problems nowadays. DM leads to a significant cognitive decline and increases the risk of dementia, mostly Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) by 50-100% and 100-150%, respectively. Amyloid beta (Abeta), the main pathogenic factor in AD development, is eliminated by advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and degraded by insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) for which it competes with insulin. Insulin stimulates secretion of Abeta and promotes brain inflammation. DM I and II cause slowing down of mental speed, lowering of mental flexibility and DM II learning and memory disturbances. DM acts both directly by hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia and by the blood vessel changes. Hyperglycaemia changes synapse plasticity and leads to cognitive decline. AGEs disrupt the neuron function and bonding to Abeta increases its aggregability. Glycation of tau protein promotes production of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), the main intracellular pathogenic factor in AD. AGE2 in DM causes pathological angiogenesis and apoptosis of neurons. AGE receptor (RAGE) is also the specific Abeta receptor with which it produces reactive oxygen species that has, as a result, disruption of mitochondrial function and reduction of neuronal energy resources. Insulinoresistance is linked with the dysexecutive syndrome, and hyperinsulinaemia increases the risk of AD especially by enhancing phosphorylation of tau protein and formation of NFT. Application of insulin showed improvement of memory, behaviour and affect in AD patients. Good glycoregulation emerged as an important factor in dementia prevention, and a better insight in relations of DM and brain function will lead to new potential dementia therapies. .

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin zhang ◽  
Ming Yang ◽  
Ying Xiao ◽  
Yachun Han ◽  
Shikun Yang ◽  
...  

: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common and important microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). The main clinical features of DN are proteinuria and a progressive decline in renal function , which are associated with structural and functional changes in the kidney. The pathogenesis of DN is multifactorial, including genetic, metabolic and haemodynamic factors, which can trigger a sequence of events. Controlling metabolic risks such as hyperglycaemia, hypertension and dyslipidaemia is not enough to slow the progression of DN. Recent studies have emphasized immunoinflammation as a critical pathogenic factor in the progression of DN. Therefore, targeting inflammation is considered a potential and novel treatment strategy for DN. In this review, we will briefly introduce the inflammatory process of DN and discuss the anti-inflammatory effects of antidiabetic drugs when treating DN.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Gihwan Byeon ◽  
Min Soo Byun ◽  
Dahyun Yi ◽  
Jun Ho Lee ◽  
So Yeon Jeon ◽  
...  

Background: Both elevated blood homocysteine and diabetes mellitus (DM) are related to cognitive impairments or dementia. A previous study also demonstrated that the association between homocysteine and cognitive decline was much stronger in individuals with DM than in those without DM. Objective: This study aimed to examine the interactive effect of blood homocysteine and DM on brain pathological changes including brain atrophy, amyloid-β and tau deposition, and small vessel disease (SVD) related to cognitive impairments. Methods: A total of 430 non-demented older adults underwent comprehensive clinical assessment, measurement of serum homocysteine level, [11C] Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) PET, [18F] AV-1451 PET, and brain MRI. Results: The interactive effect of homocysteine with the presence of DM on brain atrophy, especially in aging-related brain regions, was significant. Higher homocysteine concentration was associated with more prominent brain atrophy in individuals with DM, but not in those without DM. In contrast, interaction effect of homocysteine and DM was found neither on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathologies, including amyloid-β and tau deposition, nor white matter hyperintensity volume as a measure of SVD. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that high blood homocysteine level and DM synergistically aggravate brain damage independently of AD and cerebrovascular disease. With regard to preventing dementia or cognitive decline in older adults, these results support the importance of strictly controlling blood glucose in individuals with hyperhomocysteinemia and lowering blood homocysteine level in those with DM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Stephen ◽  
Mariagnese Barbera ◽  
Ruth Peters ◽  
Nicole Ee ◽  
Lidan Zheng ◽  
...  

The first WHO guidelines for risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia marked an important milestone in the field of dementia prevention. In this paper, we discuss the evidence reviewed as part of the guidelines development and present the main themes emerged from its synthesis, to inform future research and policies on dementia risk reduction. The role of intervention effect-size; the mismatch between observational and intervention-based evidence; the heterogeneity of evidence among intervention trials; the importance of intervention duration; the role of timing of exposure to a certain risk factor and interventions; the relationship between intervention intensity and response; the link between individual risk factors and specific dementia pathologies; and the need for tailored interventions emerged as the main themes. The interaction and clustering of individual risk factors, including genetics, was identified as the overarching theme. The evidence collected indicates that multidomain approaches targeting simultaneously multiple risk factors and tailored at both individual and population level, are likely to be most effective and feasible in dementia risk reduction. The current status of multidomain intervention trials aimed to cognitive impairment/dementia prevention was also briefly reviewed. Primary results were presented focusing on methodological differences and the potential of design harmonization for improving evidence quality. Since multidomain intervention trials address a condition with slow clinical manifestation—like dementia—in a relatively short time frame, the need for surrogate outcomes was also discussed, with a specific focus on the potential utility of dementia risk scores. Finally, we considered how multidomain intervention could be most effectively implemented in a public health context and the implications world-wide for other non-communicable diseases targeting common risk factors, taking into account the limited evidence in low-middle income countries. In conclusion, the evidence from the first WHO guidelines for risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia indicated that “one size does not fit all,” and multidomain approaches adaptable to different populations and individuals are likely to be the most effective. Harmonization in trial design, the use of appropriate outcome measures, and sustainability in large at-risk populations in the context of other chronic disorders also emerged as key elements.


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