It's possible, according to endocrinology researchers at Brown University. They're currently proposing the possibility of a new type of diabetes, based on emerging evidence that the brain-in addition to the pancreas-produces insulin.

According to the evidence, when the ability to make insulin and related substances decreases, brain cells lose the ability to function. For several years, diabetes has been suspected as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers at Brown University believe that the newly discovered pathophysiology could be the missing link between the two diseases. They haven't yet found evidence of a connection between the proposed type 3 diabetes and types 1 and 2, but they're certain that brain insulin activity is most evident in the region of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that's essential to learning.

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