Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Type 2 diabetes linked to neurofibrillary tangles found in brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients

neurofibrillary tangles

A new study has found that people with type 2 diabetes who do not have dementia may be more prone to developing neurofibrillary tangles found in brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients. Tangles are abnormal collection of insoluble twisted fibers of a type of protein called Tau.

The study published in the journal Neurology was based on data from the US Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Scientists examined the link between type 2 diabetes and the death of brain cells and loss of connections. They also looked at the beta-amyloid plaques (protein fragment snipped from an amyloid precursor protein - APP) and protein tangles in the spinal fluid of the volunteers. Beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles found in brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906.

Read more Type 2 Diabetes Cure? A Super Low-Calorie Diet May Be The Answer!

The study involved 816 participants with an average age of 74. Of these participants, 397 individuals had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 228 had no memory of cognitive problems, 191 were Alzheimer’s patients and 124 were diabetics.

The participants underwent MRI scan for the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid samples were taken from half of the participants to measure levels of beta-amyloid and tau – proteins that make up plaques and neurofibrillary tangles found in brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients.

neurofibrillary tangles


The study found that the brain’s cortex of the people with type 2 diabetes were more thinning. Cortex is the area with the highest concentration of nerve cells. They also found higher levels of the protein tau in the spinal fluid of the patients with type 2 diabetes which indicated more tangles in the brain.
This study has proof that people with type 2 diabetes are at twice the risk of developing dementia, explains Dr. Velandai Srikanth, study author and an assoc. prof. at Monash University in Melbourne.
Studies like this one sought to understand how conditions such as diabetes may affect death of brain cells directly or indirectly. Since brain’s nerve cells do not restore themselves, it is really crucial to find ways to decrease brain cell death, he adds.

Read more Encapsulated pancreatic cells could replace injections for diabetes patients

However, Dr. Srikanth said that the study showed only a connection between type 2 diabetes and neurofibrillary tangles found in brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients. He wasn’t sure if type 2 diabetes was the cause. He pointed to high blood sugar and obesity which are common among people with type 2 diabetes. Other researches had linked obesity to a greater accumulation of tangles.

Read more Scientists discover possible solution for Alzheimer’s immunotherapy side effects

“Obesity could be part of the puzzle, too …. There is an interesting body of evidence" tying obesity to tau, he explained,” said Dr. Srikanth.

Dr. Srikanth said that since the study analyzed participants’ data at only point in time, cause-and-effect association between diabetes and neurofibrillary tangles found in brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients was not determined.

2 comments:


  1. I would like to thank Ultimate Life Clinic for reversing my father’s Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). My father’s ALS condition was fast deteriorating before he started on the ALS Herbal medicine treatment from Ultimate Life Clinic. He was on the treatment for just 6 months and we never thought my father will recover so soon. He has gained some weight in the past months and he is able to walk with no support. You can contact them through there website, www.ultimatelifeclinic.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My name is Olisa Blessing, I feel so good. I never thought I would be this healthy again in my life. I have worked as an air hostess ( cabin crew ) for 3years but early this year, I lost my job because of this deadly disease called Herpes virus (HSV). I never felt sick or notice any symptoms. Not until the day all workers were asked to bring their doctors report card, that was how I got tested and I found out that I'm HSV positive and that made me lose my job because it was considered as an STD and is an incurable disease. I was so depressed that I started thinking of suicide.
    I explained my situation to an older friend of mine, who often said to me 'a problem shared is a problem half solved. She felt so pity for me that she referred me to Dr. Utu Herbal Cure, that was how I contacted Dr. Utu and got the medication from him and was cured for real.
    I went back to my work a month later with another HSV negative test result and they conducted another test to be very sure and they found out I am negative.
    Eventually, the initial test was replaced with a negative result, and my position was revived with an apology letter and compensation.
    Beware of impersonators,
    Dr. Utu can only be reached at-
    drutuherbalcure@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete