Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 Mar;66(3):300-5.
doi: 10.1001/archneurol.2009.27.

The role of metabolic disorders in Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia: two roads converged

Suzanne Craft  1
Affiliations
Review

The role of metabolic disorders in Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia: two roads converged

Suzanne Craft. Arch Neurol. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

In recent years a rapidly increasing number of studies has focused on the relationship between dementia and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Etiological heterogeneity and comorbidity pose challenges for determining relationships among metabolic disorders. The independent and interactive effects of brain vascular injury and classic pathological agents such as beta-amyloid have also proved difficult to distinguish in human patients, blurring the lines between Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. This review highlights recent work aimed at identifying convergent mechanisms such as insulin resistance that may underlie comorbid metabolic disorders and thereby increase dementia risk. Identification of such convergent factors will not only provide important insight into the causes and interdependencies of late-life dementias but will also inspire novel strategies for treating and preventing these disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Arteriolar microinfarct in patient with dementia and diabetes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Cornier MA, Dabelea D, Hernandez TL, et al. The metabolic syndrome. Endocr Rev. 2008 Dec;29(7):777–822. - PMC - PubMed
    1. DeFronzo RA, Tobin JD, Andres R. Glucose clamp technique: a method for quantifying insulin secretion and resistance. Am J Physiol. 1979 Sep;237(3):E214–223. - PubMed
    1. Muniyappa R, Lee S, Chen H, Quon MJ. Current approaches for assessing insulin sensitivity and resistance in vivo: advantages, limitations, and appropriate usage. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jan;294(1):E15–26. - PubMed
    1. Reaven G. Why a cluster is truly a cluster: insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. Clin Chem. 2008 May;54(5):785–787. - PubMed
    1. Craft S, Watson GS. Insulin and neurodegenerative disease: shared and specific mechanisms. Lancet Neurol. 2004 Mar;3(3):169–178. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

-