Having Type 2 diabetes is associated with greater impairment of blood flow to the brain and a sharper decline in mental acuity compared with non-diabetic people of similar age and health status, even over a two-year period, researchers report.
An associate professor of Neurology at Harvard says. There is currently no treatment for cognitive decline in diabetes, said the lead author, Dr. Vera Novak, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard. Even tighter glycemic control did not improve things.
The study shows people with diabetes had greater declines in gray matter volume, composite scores on mental tests, and in rates of blood flow to the brain than those in the control group. They also had greater increases in blood measures of inflammation.
