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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Hippocampal Insulin Microinjection and In vivo Microdialysis During Spatial Memory Testing
Published on: January 11, 2013
Hippocampal insulin resistance and cognitive dysfunction
Geert Jan Biessels1, Lawrence P Reagan2,3
1Department of Neurology, G03.232, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Clinical studies suggest a link between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and insulin resistance (IR) and cognitive dysfunction, but there are significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Animal models of IR help to bridge these gaps and point to hippocampal IR as a potential mediator of cognitive dysfunction in T2DM, as well as in Alzheimer disease (AD). This Review highlights these observations and discusses intervention studies which suggest that the restoration of insulin activity in the hippocampus may be an effective strategy to alleviate the cognitive decline associated with T2DM and AD.
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