Evaluating the Safety and Tolerability of Intranasal Insulin in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

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A phase II clinical trial evaluated the safety and tolerability of intranasal insulin in 30 participants with Parkinson's disease.
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No significant changes in body weight or serum insulin levels were observed during the 21-day treatment period.
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The most common adverse events were mild nasal irritation and epistaxis, with no hypoglycemic episodes recorded.
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Improvements in verbal fluency and recall were noted in the 40 IU intranasal insulin group, but not significantly greater than placebo.
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Intranasal insulin demonstrated an acceptable safety profile in patients with Parkinson's disease, warranting further studies.

Frontiers In Neurology

by Julia C. Johnson, Bhavani Kashyap, Sally K. Gustafson, Meghan O'Brien, William Howard Frey, Aleta L. Svitak, Leah R. Hanson
September 9, 2026

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