Preliminary research from a small pilot study suggests that squirting insulin deep into the nose where it travels to the brain might slow the progress of early Alzheimer’s. This has been called a provocative study because of possible future implications. 

A group of 104 people with mild to moderate memory issues were divided into three groups. One group inhaled 20 milligrams of aerosolized insulin two times daily for four months; a second group was given 40 milligrams for the same time frame; and a placebo (saline solution) was given to the third group.

At the conclusion of the study, the group treated with 20 milligrams of insulin improved slightly or remained the same in memory tests and in their ability to handle day-to-day activities. Those given the lower dose seemed more effective than the higher one. The group who received placebos declined in overall memory issues.

A professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington in Seattle, Suzanne Craft, has been a principal investigator of the insulin study and has studied its effects in Alzheimer’s. A problem she encountered with the study is how to get more insulin to the brain but not to the body. Kurve Technology helped with a solution by developing a special device that delivers a spray of insulin deep into the nose. The hormone then travels along the path of nerves into the brain. 

It is still too soon to say if the treatment is even safe and the special device needed to dispense it properly is not yet on the market and will not be available to individuals.  Dr. Craft wants to see much more extensive study of the potential use of insulin. An Alzheimer expert at the Medical University of South Carolina, Jacobo Mintzer, said that as a clinician he would not advise his patients to get their hopes up, but as a scientist he feels some encouragement about future implications of the use of insulin for treating Alzheimer’s.

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager

Barton Home Care