Insulin and the brain
November 10th 2010 20:13
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ST. PAUL — Local Alzheimer’s disease researchers are breaking barriers — literally.
White Bear area residents William Frey II and Leah Hanson are directors of the Alzheimer’s Research Center. The nonprofit at Regions Hospital is internationally recognized for its research, including pioneering use of nasal sprays to deliver drugs directly to the brain.
Frey, a White Bear Township resident, patented the nasal delivery method that sends drugs to the brain along the nerves involved in smell.
Treatment trials are conducted by the Research Center, primarily using the nasal delivery method, in studies of possible causes of memory impairment.
According to Hanson, a Vadnais Heights resident, the most promising drug treatments currently are insulin and deferoxamine.
Research has shown low insulin levels in the brain are related to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. The intranasal method delivers insulin to the brain without affecting blood sugar levels.
The Research Center has partnered with the University of Washington to conduct trials that thus far have shown intranasal insulin has improved memory within 20 minutes after the first dose and continued daily doses have maintained improvement over three weeks.The study now is monitoring whether the benefits are sustained long-term.
Many Alzheimer’s sufferers also have a buildup of iron and deferoxamine reduces iron levels. When given as a shot to Alzheimer’s patients in one study, deferoxamine cut their rate of cognitive decline in half. Side effects, however, halted this treatment.
The center’s research on mice has shown that when administered nasally, the drug has similar benefits without the negative side effects. The center now is working to obtain approval for human trials.
Other treatment studies include stem cells and natural proteins called nerve growth factors.The center also is collaborating with other researchers to evaluate whether its Alzheimer’s treatments hold promise for treating other brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia and strokes. The center is widely known for discovering that the Apolipoprotein E allele, a gene thought to be a risk factor, is altered in Alzheimer’s sufferers.
The researchers also are studying whether healthy lifestyle changes in diet, and in physical, mental and social activity can prevent memory loss associated with aging.
Private donations and grants from the government, pharmaceutical companies and other organizations fund the center’s research.
Founded by Frey in 1977, the Alzheimer’s Research Center was one of the first such facilities in the country. In addition to directing the Alzheimer’s center, he’s also a professor at the University of Minnesota.
Frey has been prominently featured in the likes of the Wall Street Journal and the “Today Show”, has been interviewed by Walter Cronkite and has been the subject of several documentaries.
Hanson, a White Bear native, has worked at the research center for 10 years — working up the ranks from research assistant after completing her doctorate at the University of Minnesota. Her daughters attend Vadnais Heights Elementary where Hanson has volunteered bringing brain specimens and science experiments to their classrooms.
The center has one of the world’s largest human brain tissue banks, with more than 2,500 brain tissue samples.
Memory project
A new initiative at the Research Center is the Minnesota Memory Project — a first-of-its-kind registry tracking aging adults. The center is seeking volunteers who will complete a biannual health and lifestyle survey and visit the center annually (valet parking provided) for a memory test.
Participants include adults over age 55, adults over age 40 who have diagnosed memory loss, and adults who care for someone with memory loss.
The study aims to collect information on memory changes associated with brain diseases and aging, and to examine the mental health effects on caregivers.
Qualifying Memory Project participants may be invited to participate in the Research Center’s treatment trials and other studies.
Beyond research
Research Center staff don’t spend their entire day with test tubes and brain samples.
Most of the 15 researchers also care for patients at Health Partner’s Center for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care. Some also give educational presentations to community organizations.
And everyone takes shifts answering the center’s main phone line. Hanson said community members are welcome to call with any question about Alzheimer’s.
“It’s important to really stay connected with the people,” Hanson said. “It’s a reminder of why we’re doing this.”
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