A study conducted by researchers at the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center found that a protein secreted with insulin moves through the bloodstream and accumulates in the brains of people with type 2 diabetes and dementia in the same way as beta amyloid plaques, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The study identified for the first time deposits of this protein, called pancreatic precipitin, in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients and also found combined deposits of pancreatic precipitin and beta amyloid plaques, suggesting that pancreatic precipitin is a second amyloid protein and also a new biomarker for age-related dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.