Shared genetic etiology underlying Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes

The risk of Type 2 Diabetes increases with age and is primarily due to poor lifestyle choices such as bad diet, lack of exercise, obesity, etc which are all modifiable. Several studies suggest that Type 2 Diabetes (T2D ) may be a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and for this reason, our Center has been a pioneer in proving this link experimentally since 1998.

In 2015, our Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS - Shared genetic etiology underlying Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes) tentatively supported the epidemiological evidence that subjects with T2D are at higher risk to develop AD. Possible mechanisms include shared genetic risk factors, which we investigated in this study (link in title above).

More importantly, our studies provide the much needed information for the design of future novel therapeutic approaches, for a subpopulation of T2D subjects with a genetic disposition to AD, that could benefit T2D and reduce the risk for subsequent development of AD.

Currently, this research, at the Center for Molecular Integrative Neuroresilience, is funded by the Alzheimer's Association of America and, in collaboration with John’s Hopkins University, is supported by the "Part the Cloud" initiative. The "Part the Cloud" initiative is a special program for high risk /high impact studies whose mission is to slow, stop and ultimately cure Alzheimer's disease.

The design of our study is very innovative, partly due to the fact that subjects are enrolled using the detection of certain pathological proteins found in the spinal fluid. In this way, enrollment in this study is not on based on symptoms but rather, is based on the detection of the very earliest pathology. We hope to learn that, if by intervening at very earliest stages of AD, even before the subject notices any behavioral changes, we can promote resilience to AD by preventing T2D.

Currently at the Center, we are clinically testing the beneficial role of resveratrol and other Polyphenols to attenuate AD possibly by influencing certain features of type 2 diabetes in particular inflammatory markers.