Research Reveals Link Between Diabetes and Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), along with scientists from Northwestern University, have discovered direct experimental evidence that diabetes is linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The study used an experimental model that shows potential as an important new tool for investigations of Alzheimer’s, as well as drugs being developed to treat the disease. The research results appears online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

UMDNJ researchers Peter Frederikse, PhD; and Chinnaswamy Kasinathan, PhD; collaborated with William Klein, PhD, at Northwestern University, to build on prior studies from the Klein lab and others that point out close links between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Working with Claudine Bitel and Rajesh Kaswala, students at UMDNJ, the researchers tested whether untreated diabetes would offer a physiological model of Alzheimer neuropathology. For more information, click here to read the full release.