A comparative study of the protein levels of Insulin and IGF-1 receptors and receptor substrates in a rat model of development and agind in different brain areas

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common causes of dementia. AD is a progressive, degenerative, and irreversible neurological disorder that cause early, cognitive impairment, memory loss, and behaviour changes. AD shares many age-related pathophysiological features of type 2 diabetes (T2D), importantly, insulin resistance defined as reduced cellular responsiveness to insulin. Insulin resistance is considered an etiological factor in AD. Insulin participates in synaptic plasticity through the activation of the insulin receptor (IR) and the PI3K signalling pathway. In this study, western blots were used to analyze the protein levels of insulin and IGF-1 receptors and substrates during the development and aging in different brain areas (prefrontal area, dorsal hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum) in rats. We found receptors and receptors substrate levels may vary depending on age and area analysed. The implications of these results are discussed.