"Researchers say theyve developed a nasal spray that could potentially improve memory and other mental capabilities for the more than  million Americans suffering from Alzheimers disease. In a pilot study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in WinstonSalem North Carolina researchers studied  adults between the ages of  and  diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment MCI or mild to moderate Alzheimers dementia AD. Participants were nasally administered doses of manmade insulin called insulin detemir for  days. The insulin detemir is designed to attach to album a blood protein. Album absorbs the insulin detemir distributing it throughout the body and allowing it to work. Because the insulin detemir dissolves from the protein slowly it has a longer period of exposure in the body lead study author Dr. Suzanne Craft professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest Baptist told FoxNews.com. Participants who received  international unit IU doses of insulin detemir over the course of the trial showed significant improvement in their shortterm ability to retain and process verbal and visual information compared with those who received  IU doses or a placebo. According to Craft performance on tests of mental manipulation and memory improved by as much as  percent.   Even recipients who carried the APOEe gene  which is proven to increase Alzheimers risk  showed significantly higher memory scores than those who received the lower dosage or placebo. Our team was surprised at the level of improvement for the participants with the gene that raises Alzheimers risk as very few types of therapies have been shown to benefit these patients Craft said. Further research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind insulin detemirs effect on memory. The insulin detemir doses did not cause any negative side effects and Craft said the studys overall results support further investigation of insulin detemir as a treatment for Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers hope to follow up on the pilot study in a larger group of participants who would receive the insulin detemir for a longer period of time. Additionally Craft said they would also like to directly compare the insulin detemir to other forms of insulin to see which provides the most therapeutic benefit. Alzheimers is a devastating illness for which even small therapeutic gains have the potential to improve quality of life and significantly reduce the overall burden for patients families and society she said. Future studies are warranted to examine the safety and efficacy of this promising treatment. Study results are published in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease."