Could there be a link between glucose levels in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease?
Mice with late-stage symptoms showed improvement in memory loss and reduced brain plaque after experimental treatment, Chinese study finds
A team from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the mice showed a substantial reversal in memory loss and reduced brain plaque within weeks of being treated with the drug.
The researchers reported the results of their study in peer-reviewed journal Advanced Science on December 8.
But the Kunming team has taken a different approach. Their theory is that Alzheimer’s could stem from an abnormally low supply of glucose – a simple sugar and the body’s main source of energy – in brain tissue that leads to problems with brain energy metabolism.
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The team’s experimental drug aims to restore glucose levels in the brain by targeting the GLUT1 glucose transport protein, and potentially treating the neurodegenerative disease.