Diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for Dementias

Abstract

Alejandra Martínez-Maldonado

Dementia is a complex disorder of multifactorial etiology that results in alterations in health status changes in lifestyle. It is important to identify the risk factors at an early age, to prevent disease. Diabetes mellitus type 2 is the most common type of diabetes in which autoimmune antibodies appear to be the cause. In this type of diabetes, insulin resistance is observed, which limits the ability to respond to hormones, both endogenous and exogenous. In some cases, insulin resistance is a result of a lower number or a mutation of insulin receptors. These receptors are expressed in the central nervous system. When there is insulin resistance as in the case of diabetes mellitus type 2 or there is no insulin production as in the case of diabetes mellitus type 1, the pathways involved in the neuronal function are not activated. Therefore, some proteins involved in neuronal death such as tau, amyloid-ß, and å-synuclein are activated. These proteins will form intracellular and extracellular deposits, which are histopathological features of dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson Disease. Neuronal death caused by the lack of insulin is one of the reasons why diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for dementia.