[Non-genetic risk factors for dementia].

Growing evidence supports that diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the non-genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms by which DM increases the risk of AD have not been fully understood. Epidemiological studies suggested that DM modifies AD pathology. The studies using AD animal models with DM also indicated that these two types of diseases interacted pathologically with each other. Elucidation of the mechanism of the pathological interaction between AD and DM could open the door for generation and development of novel therapeutic strategies for AD, especially in the elderly.