A new study finds that those who suffer from Type II diabetes have impaired blood circulation that consequently affects brain function.
For the study, which appeared in the journal Neurology, researchers conducted different tests on 65 patients with an average age of 66.
Out of the 65 patients, 19 are diagnosed with Type II diabetics, while 21 of them don't have the disease, according to a report from Diabetes News Journal .
All the patients who participated in the two-year study took cognitive function and memory tests.
They also underwent blood testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess blood pressure and flow, degree of tissue inflammation, and brain volume. All tests were done before and after the study.
The results found that after two years, those with Type II diabetes have impaired ability to control blood flow to the brain.
At the same time, these people scored low in memory tests, which is because the brain had been deprived of blood needed for its function.
Vera Novak, senior study author and associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, confirmed that their major finding shows that there is a link between a faster decline in cognitive function and impaired blood flow regulation.
However, researchers said that there is a need to conduct further studies, extending the study duration and enlisting more participants to gain more understanding as to how the metabolic disorder can affect brain health.
Previous research studies have provided evidence that blood vessel function and blood flow can be affected by diabetes. However, the new study made a connection as to how the disease affects brain function over a short period of time.
Novak said that there is no current treatment that manages cognitive decline in diabetics. She added that there is no improvement despite "tighter glycemic control."
Novak and colleagues are conducting a trial to check if delivering insulin to the brain via the nose can reduce cognitive decline.
