Nicolai Albrechtsen

Individuals with diabetes are at risk of developing dementia. Both diseases contribute to impaired quality of life and poses and an economical cost on our society. Insulin and glucagon are two hormones from the pancreas that play a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Recently, insulin has been shown also to contribute to dementia. The role of glucagon in brain metabolism and its potential link to dementia is unknown. In this proposal, we will determine the potential actions of glucagon in the brain through series of investigations and extensive state-of the art techniques in rodents, healthy individuals, and patients with type 2 diabetes. The findings obtained in these proposed investigations may reposition the role of glucagon as a peripheral hormone to also be a central regulator of brain metabolism in health and disease. Glucagon-based medicine may thereby be of clinical importance for the patient with type 2 diabetes at risk of dementia.