Cognitive ability and brain structure in type 1 diabetes: Relation to microangiopathy and preceding severe hypoglycemia

• Published in: Diabetes (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 52; no. 1; pp. 149 - 156
• Main Authors: FERGNSON, Stewart C, BLANE, Annette, PERROS, Petros, MCCRIMMON, Rory J, BEST, Jonathan J. K, WARDLAW, Joanna, DEARY, Ian J, FRIER, Brian M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 2003
• Subjects: Adult; Associated diseases and complications; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - pathology; Child development; Cognition; Cognition disorders; Cognitive ability; Cognitive disorders; Coma; Comorbidity; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - diagnosis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - physiopathology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - psychology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetic retinopathy; Diabetic Retinopathy - etiology; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Female; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypertension; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemia - blood; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical imaging; Medical Records; Medical sciences; Metabolism; Nervous system; Neuroimaging; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuropsychology; Physiological aspects; Severity of Illness Index; Uremia; Endocrinopathy; Immunopathology; Central nervous system; Cardiovascular disease; Autoimmune disease; Metabolic diseases; Cognition; Hypoglycemia; Vascular disease; Microangiopathy; Insulin dependent diabetes; Complication; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0012-1797; 1939-327X
• DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.52.1.149

Type 1 diabetes is associated with chronic hyperglycemia and exposure to intermittent severe hypoglycemia. The long-term cerebral effects of these consequences of diabetes are ill defined. In this study, the history of preceding severe hypoglycemia and the presence of background retinopathy were examined in relation to cognitive ability (neuropsychological test battery) and brain structure (magnetic resonance imaging) in a cross-sectional evaluation of 74 young people with type 1 diabetes. Participants differed by their severe hypoglycemia exposure and degree of diabetic retinopathy and none had previous neuropsychological pathology. Severe hypoglycemia did not influence cognitive ability or brain structure. Background diabetic retinopathy was associated with small focal white-matter hyperintensities in the basal ganglia (33.3 vs. 4.7%, after correction for age, P = 0.005) and significant cognitive disadvantage, affecting fluid intelligence (P = 0.008, Eta(2) = 0.14), information processing (P = 0.001, Eta(2) = 0.22), and attention and concentration ability (P = 0.03, Eta(2) = 0.09). In conclusion, recurrent exposure to severe hypoglycemia alone in young people with type 1 diabetes had no detrimental impact on brain structure or function over the duration of diabetes examined. Chronic hyperglycemia (inferred by the presence of background diabetic retinopathy) may affect brain structure and function.