Managing Cognitive Decline in Type 2 Diabetes through Early Intervention

Diabetes, may it be Type 1 or 2, can affect a patient’s brain. It is highly sensitive to the amount of sugar or glucose that is present in its system. So, too much or too little can lead to serious consequences in the cognitive functioning of people diagnosed with the condition. However, the severity of the cognitive impairment experienced by someone with diabetes may differ according to the type of diagnosis. People that are diagnosed with T2DM may encounter more problems that can also cause damage to blood vessels. However, Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center, said that such fears can be avoided through good diabetes control.

T2DM is associated with several impairments in cognitive functioning such as negative changes in the blood flow to the brain. According to an online issue published by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), this change of blood flow in the brain is associated with lower scores in cognitive tests and poor performance in daily activities. Monitoring blood flow in the brain can be useful in predicting changes in cognitive capacities of a person with diabetes.