Alzheimer's disease, diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI), and vascular dementia (VD) are common causes of severe cognitive impairment in the clinical practice.3Studies have been increasingly reporting that these three types of dementia present similar pathogeneses,4including amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein deposition, tau protein hyperphosphorylation and insulin resistance. The gene discussed is INS; the disease is dementia.