title: Diabetes and neurodegeneration in the brain.
abstract: Although an association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and cognitive dysfunction has been recognized for a century, it is often not considered as a complication of DM and remains under-recognized. Cognitive dysfunction, usually present as mild cognitive impairment, can occur with either type 1 or type 2 DM. Both forms of DM contribute to accelerated cerebral atrophy and to the presence of heightened white matter abnormalities. These effects are noted most at the two extremes of life, in childhood and in the advanced years. The cognitive spheres most affected include attention and executive function, processing speed, perception, and memory. Although DM is unlikely to lead to frank dementia, its ability to exacerbate existing neurodegenerative processes, such as Alzheimer disease, will impact tremendously upon our society in the upcoming decades as our population ages. This chapter describes the clinical impact of DM upon the brain, along with discussion of the potential therapeutic avenues to be discovered in the coming decades. We need to prepare for better preventative and therapeutic management of this cerebral neurodegenerative condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: cory.toth@albertahealthservices.ca.
authors.forename: Cory
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced
keywords: Diabetes mellitus; advanced glycation end products; cerebral atrophy; dementia; insulin; mild cognitive impairment; white matter abnormalities