bariatric surgery as a cure to alzheimer`s disease

Alzheimer`s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects 10-30% of the people above the age of 65 and 50%

Diabetes Meliitus (DM) and obesity are independent risk factors for the development of AD. AD has also been tied to abnormal glucose metabolism in the brain, and an increased insulin resistance Prior research in rodents has demonstrated the efficacy of intranasal insulin in improving behavioral tests and delaying the onset of AD symptoms.

Bariatric or weight-loss surgeries, such as sleeve gastrectomy (SG), lead to weight-loss and alleviation of DM in approximately 80% of the patients by weight-loss dependent and independent mechanisms. The surgery installs a new metabolic state which delays occurrence of other metabolic diseases including fatty liver disease, cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancer.

In this work, we set to determine whether SG can affect the development of AD in the 5xFAD mouse: a lean, genetic model of early onset AD. 5 months old mice carrying the 5xFAD mutations and wild-type littermates have undergone SG or sham surgery. The mice have undergone a series of behavioral tests 2-3 months later to determine whether the surgeries had any effect on cognitive function and their brains have been analyzed histologically.

Our study offers a new approach to study and affect pathogenesis of AD by a major systemic modification.