A new study conducted by researchers from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, reveals they may have found a promising new treatment for Alzheimer’s – in the form of an insulin nasal spray.
The study findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, revealed participants who received higher levels of insulin detemir showed major improvement in their working memory – the ability to retain and process new information – compared with participants who received lower levels of insulin or the placebo.
“The study provides preliminary evidence that insulin detemir can provide effective treatment for people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s-related dementia, similar to our previous work with regular insulin,” says head researcher Dr Suzanne Craft.
“We are also especially encouraged that we were able to improve memory for adults with MCI who have the APOE-e4 gene, as these patients are notoriously resistant to other therapies and interventions.”
