Effects of improved glycaemic control maintained for 3 months on cognitive function in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
In a previous study we failed to find beneficial short-term effects of improved glycaemic control on cognitive functioning in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. A subgroup of the entire sample was tested again to examine the effect of longer-lasting improvement of metabolic control on cognitive functioning.


METHODS
The cognitive performance of 26 patients with Type 2 diabetes was assessed at baseline and 3 months after discharge. Thirteen controls were tested at the similar time-points. Attention/concentration, psychomotor speed, verbal fluency, verbal memory and depressive symptoms were assessed. Improved glycaemic control was generally achieved with insulin therapy (20/26).


RESULTS
At baseline, there was a trend for diabetic patients to perform worse than controls. Both groups improved significantly over 3 months in several measures. However, diabetic patients did not improve more than controls.


CONCLUSIONS
In individuals with long-standing Type 2 diabetes, previous reports of improved cognitive capacity following restoration and maintenance of near-normoglycaemia were not confirmed. This might relate to the type of anti-diabetic therapy.
Mussell
M
M
Central Institute of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer, D-68315 Mannheim, Germany. monika.mussell@med.ma.uni-heidelberg.de
Hewer
W
W
Kulzer
B
B
Bergis
K
K
Rist
F
F
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003071:Cognition; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance
D001786:Blood Glucose