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Somatostatin and Alzheimer's disease: a hypothesis

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Summary

Recent data suggest a disturbance of some brain somatostatin neurons in Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, some endocrine activities known to be regulated by somatostatin, such as growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating-hormone, somatomedins, as well as insulin and glucose metabolism, also seem to be affected in some patients. It is speculated that these changes are due to a global CNS and endocrine somatostatin defect in Alzheimer's disease and that the described endocrine imbalance may indirectly be responsible for at least part of the CNS pathology.

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Reubi, J.C., Palacios, J. Somatostatin and Alzheimer's disease: a hypothesis. J Neurol 233, 370–372 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00313925

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