Affiliations: [a] Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick, Australia | [b] School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia | [c] Discipline of Medicine, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia | [d] Endocrinology Laboratory, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Assoc. Prof. Stephen M. Twigg, Discipline of Medicine, Blackburn Building (D06), The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Tel.: +612 95156150; Fax: +612 95161273; E-mail: stwigg@med.usyd.edu.au.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease (AD) each become increasingly common with age. Diabetes causes many chronic end-organ complications and among them is dementia, which may be due to an underlying vascular cause, as well as being related to AD. The pathogenic mechanisms that lead to diabetes complications include advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and growth factor dysregulation. This review explores the evidence for epidemiological links between diabetes and AD, as well as potential pathogenic mechanisms whereby AGEs, their cellular receptors, and key growth factors may contribute to AD development and progression in diabetes. Directions for future research are also discussed.
