Study into intranasal insulin and memory
A new 21-day trial study is going to test the effect of intranasal insulin delivery on the short-term memory of 30 patients with early stage Alzheimer's disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that a single dose of intranasal insulin improved memory function for some patients with Alzheimer's disease.
US-based Kurve Technology, producer of nasal drug delivery devices and systems, will donate 10 ViaNase electronic atomiser devices customised to the requirements of the study taking place at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington, in the US.
The olfactory route offers a way for compounds to circumvent the blood-brain barrier which normally prevents many drugs from entering the brain. The route could be used to deliver drugs for treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Professor Suzanne Craft, VA principal investigator, said: 'We have been searching for a device that efficiently delivers insulin via the nasal route. The fact that ViaNase allows patients to self-administer study formulations at home is crucial to this study.'