Neural correlates of liraglutide effects in persons at risk for Alzheimer's disease

At baseline (time point 1), higher fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was associated with decreased connectivity between bilateral hippocampal and anterior medial frontal structures. At time point 2, we observed significant improvement in intrinsic connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) in the active group relative to placebo. There were no detectable cognitive differences between study groups after this duration of treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first placebo-controlled study to report neural effects of liraglutide in a middle-aged population with subjective cognitive complaints. Larger and longer duration studies are warranted to determine whether liraglutide has neuroprotective benefits in individuals at risk for AD.