Common Pathological Processes and Transcriptional Pathways in Alzheimer's Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

Issue title: Oxidative Stress, Reactive Metabolites, Inflammation, and RAGE – Building a Bridge from Alzheimer's Disease to Diabetes and Vice Versa

Guest editors: Angelika Bierhaus

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Jones, Allan^{; 1} | Kulozik, Philipp^{; 1} | Ostertag, Anke^{; 1} | Herzig, Stephan^{; *}

Affiliations: Emmy Noether and Marie Curie Research Group Molecular Metabolic Control, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Stephan Herzig, Ph.D., German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Tel.: +49 6221 42 3594; E-mail: s.herzig@dkfz.de.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to the work presented.

Abstract: Numerous epidemiological and experimental studies have established a strong connection between type 2 diabetes and the risk of the development of Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, several pathological features have been identified as common denominators of diabetic and Alzheimer's patients, including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and inflammation, suggesting a close connection between the two disorders. Here we review common metabolic and inflammatory processes implicated in the pathogenesis of both disorders. In particular, the role of critical transcriptional checkpoints in the control of cellular metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and inflammation will be emphasized in this context. These transcriptional regulators hold great promise as new therapeutic targets in the potentially combined treatment of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease in the future.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, energy homeostasis, insulin signaling, metabolic syndrome, transcription, type 2 diabetes

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2009-0973

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 787-808, 2009