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Can Insulin Resistance Predict Memory Performance?
Study observes those with parental AD history
Insulin resistance may be a predictor of worse memory performance, according to a population-based, cross-sectional study of 150 middle-aged adults.
The study subjects were taken from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention study, a sample robust with parental history of Alzheimer’s disease. They underwent baseline cognitive testing, a fasting blood draw, and fludeoxyglucose F 18–labeled positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).
Investigators used the homeostatic model assessment of peripheral insulin resistance (HOMA- IR). They also took regional glucose uptake results from FDG-PET, and measured neurophysical factors.
Higher HOMA-IR was linked to lower global glucose metabolism, and lower regional glucose metabolism in large portions of multiple lobes, and was especially prevalent in the left medial temporal lobe. Lower glucose metabolism in this area was significantly associated with worse immediate memory performance.
With insulin resistance becoming more common in developed countries, researchers suggested that midlife might be the time to treat peripheral insulin resistance.
Citation: Willette AA, Bendlin BB, Starks EH, et al. Association of Insulin Resistance With Cerebral Glucose Uptake in Late Middle–Aged Adults at Risk for Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurol. 2015; Published online July 27, 2015. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.0613.