Type 2 diabetes mellitus contributes to cognitive decline in old age: A longitudinal population-based study

Abstract

We examined change in neuropsychological test performance related to type 2 diabetes mellitus across a 6-year interval. A population-based sample of 274 elderly participants (36 with diabetes and 238 without diabetes) was examined at four occasions at a 2-year interval. The participants were 80-93 years of age (M = 82.8 years) and without dementia at baseline. The test battery included tests of speed, visuospatial ability, short-term memory, semantic memory, episodic memory, and the Mini Mental Status Examination. Several models, taking into account diabetes and demographic data, were analyzed using SAS Proc Mixed multilevel modeling. At baseline, there were no significant differences in the neuropsychological tests related to diabetes. The longitudinal analyses, however, showed that diabetes was a significant predictor of decline for many of the tests. These findings points to the conclusion that type 2 diabetes is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in old age that may result in dementia.

The impact of diabetes mellitus on cognitive decline in the oldest of the old: a prospective population-based study

“…The majority of these studies address the development of dementia and usually show an increased incidence of both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in older (mean age 69-77) diabetes patients [21][22][23]. There are only seven populationbased longitudinal studies that have examined cognitive function by means of a cognitive test battery [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. In five of these the difference in cognitive performance between diabetic and non-diabetic participants was examined both at baseline and prospectively [24][25][26][27]29].…”

“…There are only seven populationbased longitudinal studies that have examined cognitive function by means of a cognitive test battery [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. In five of these the difference in cognitive performance between diabetic and non-diabetic participants was examined both at baseline and prospectively [24][25][26][27]29]. In all but one [24] of these studies, the mean age of the population at baseline was between 65 and 75 years.…”

“…In five of these the difference in cognitive performance between diabetic and non-diabetic participants was examined both at baseline and prospectively [24][25][26][27]29]. In all but one [24] of these studies, the mean age of the population at baseline was between 65 and 75 years. Two studies specifically included participants who were cognitively intact (e.g.…”

“…Two studies specifically included participants who were cognitively intact (e.g. MMSE score >26) at baseline, resulting in no significant differences in baseline cognitive function [24,27]. Out of the remaining three studies, two found significantly worse cognitive performance in the diabetic participants at baseline [26,29].…”

Impaired Word and Face Recognition in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

“…In particular, DM2 older adults have demonstrated impaired executive functioning and information processing speed (4-7), although the most frequently reported deficits are seen in episodic memory (2,8) .…”