摘要

Alzheimer%26apos;s disease (AD) and diabetes are currently considered among the top threats to human health worldwide. Intriguingly, a connection between these diseases has been established during the past decade, since insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, also develops in Alzheimer brains. In this article, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying defective brain insulin signaling in AD are discussed, with emphasis on evidence that Alzheimer%26apos;s and diabetes share common inflammatory signaling pathways. I put forward here a hypothesis on how a cross-talk between peripheral tissues and the brain might influence the development of AD, and highlight important unanswered questions in the field. Furthermore, I discuss a rational basis for the use of antidiabetic agents as novel and potentially effective therapeutics in AD.