Role of glycemic status and insulin resistance indices on cognition

Introduction and Aim: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is presently the commonest and most prevalent disorder of metabolism which, if unmanaged, can lead to macro and micro-vascular disorders as complications. The preventive and therapeutic options for the same have been drastically improved than before and the life expectancy of the affected population has risen, but with the emergence of few other new complications like cognitive impairment and dementia. Insulin Resistance (IR) is a preclinical stage during diabetes and can potentially affect cognition. Cognition is the capability of an individual to process the given information through perception. Cognition is a broad spectrum including different cognitive domains like learning, attention, memory, language, reasoning, decision making, visuospatial skills etc., which forms the basis of intellectual development. Our present aim is to study the relationship between the glycemic profile and cognition status in diabetics.   Materials and Methods:  The study population included a total of 232 subjects with the age of 40-70 years of both genders. They were recruited after obtaining the informed written consent. Fasting blood glucose, Insulin levels, HbA1C were analyzed. The insulin resistance indices such as The HOmeostasis Model of IR (HOMA-IR), QUantitative Insulin-sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) and HOMA percent beta-cell function (HOMA-beta) were derived. Cognition status was assessed and scored using the Modified Mini Mental Status (3MS) test.   Results: HbA1c score and the 3MS score showed an association where both were negatively correlated. Insulin resistance induces too were negatively correlated with cognitive function.   Conclusion: Thus, our study suggests that unmanaged diabetes mellitus type 2 may affect the cognition. Accordingly, early diagnosis of the condition and its management is crucial to bring down the incidence of cognitive impairment, further dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases.