胰島素鼻腔噴霧能減緩老年癡呆症（圖）

Insulin nasal spray may slow Alzheimer's
Memory function improved in up to three-fourths of patients using special device, new study finds

通過胰島素鼻腔噴霧提高認知能力的試驗有了令人鼓舞的結果，但這還是一個早期的小規模試驗，還需要更大的研究來確定它是否有效和安全。這個新療法是以阿爾茨海默病和糖尿病相關的理論作為基礎。糖尿病患者患上老年癡呆症的風險似乎更高，並且老年癡呆症病人傾向於有抗胰島素性，以鼻噴的方式給胰島素可以使其直接進入大腦而不影響血糖水平，如果這個療法有效的話，它無疑將是一種簡單的操作。不像每天注射一針那樣，而且很可能會更便宜。

A new study released Monday shows that insulin applied daily through a special nasal spray might be a treatment that slows or stops the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. That’s hopeful news for millions facing the memory-robbing disease, because nothing has been successful at halting its awful progress.

In the small study, called a Phase II, researchers from the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, enrolled 104 people with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment. The participants were given 20 IU (international units) of insulin, 40 IU of insulint or a saline placebo. Memory, cognition and functional ability were measured before and after treatment. Some of the participants also received lumbar punctures to test cerebrospinal fluid and brain scans before and after treatment.

By Robert Bazell
Chief science and health correspondent
NBC News
updated 9/12/2011 4:01:28 PM ET 2011-09-12T20:01:28