In a long-term cohort study, researchers found that diabetes accelerates the loss of brain white matter, the tissue that carries nerve signals between brain regions. The results, reported in a major medical journal, were based on a prospective design that followed participants for decades. Network. White matter integrity is essential for fast information transfer and network synchronization in the brain, and its decline has long been linked with aging and cognitive challenges.
One hundred eighty-five participants were tracked over twenty-seven years. The majority were white Europeans with higher education and a family history of dementia. Volunteers shared medical data and underwent multiple MRI scans of the brain, allowing researchers to observe how vascular and metabolic factors influence brain structure over time.
During the follow-up, sixty individuals developed mild cognitive impairment and eight progressed to dementia. The analysis showed that the risk of MCI rose by 86 percent among people with greater white matter loss, underscoring a strong link between brain changes and cognitive outcomes.
Further analyses indicated that those with type 2 diabetes exhibited a more pronounced reduction in white matter, which translated into a 41 percent higher risk of developing MCI.
Biomarkers of dementia in cerebrospinal fluid increased the likelihood of cognitive problems by about 50 percent. The greatest risk appeared in individuals who also had diabetes and signs of amyloid plaques, protein aggregates that damage neurons. Approximately 55 percent of such individuals were likely to develop mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers propose that insulin resistance may accelerate the accumulation of amyloid protein in the brain, potentially triggering Alzheimer’s disease and hastening the transition from a normal aging brain to mild cognitive impairment.
Earlier work has suggested that maintaining normal glucose levels can slow brain aging. Network.