A new study shows that type 2 diabetes can produce functional and structural changes in the brain, leading to cognitive decline and premature aging of brain functions.
The most affected are patients who have had diabetes for a longer time, say the researchers, who used the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery tests, developed by the National Institutes of Health, for the study.
The subjects who participated in the study, 51 in number, of average age, were also subjected to some MRIs, thus establishing the relationship between diabetes, cognition and the brain.
Brain imaging showed that study participants who had long-standing type 2 diabetes had an average cortical thickness and smaller gray matter volumes. In addition, differences were also observed in the white matter of the brain, he writes Science Tech Daily.
The MRI results, the researchers say, indicate the negative effects that long-term diabetes can have on brain health and emphasize the importance of preventing this condition.
“This is the first time that changes in brain structure have been associated with the duration of diabetes,” said Evan Reynolds, PhD, one of the scientists involved in the study.
It recommends early screening for cognitive impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes, while also announcing that a large-scale study will be launched to address how people with diabetes can maintain a healthy brain.
2023-08-22 21:02:00
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