Better control is beneficial cognitively, even for individuals within the normal range.
Many studies have associated cognitive problems with high glucose levels in patients with diabetes. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers have now examined the relationship of glucose to memory (on a verbal learning task) and brain structure in 141 individuals whose glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were within the normal range (72 women; mean age, 63).
Participants had a normal body-mass index and minimally used alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine. Higher levels of HbA1c and fasting glucose were associated with lower performance on all three memory subtasks, smaller hippocampal volume (on 3-Tesla MRI), and worse hippocampal density (measured via diffusion tensor imaging). Further analysis suggested that the effe…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)