In addition to losing many brain cells as their disease progresses, Alzheimer’s disease patients show a decreasing ability to use blood sugar (glucose) to feed their remaining brain cells. This Alzheimer’s disease-associated problem with blood sugar regulation has been called “Type 3 Diabetes.” However, the reasons for this problem have remained relatively unexplored. Through our research at the CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center, we have uncovered an important cause of this defect linked to the key Alzheimer’s disease protein amyloid-beta and the microtubule-dependent motor protein Kinesin-5. As a result of this problem, neurons are unable to detect insulin and import blood sugar, which is required for their essential functions. We are targeting this mechanism to develop novel drugs that can reverse the Type 3 diabetes of Alzheimer’s disease, with the goal of protecting against brain cell loss.