Do glucose levels affect cognitive performance in people with type 1 diabetes? Study finds out
A new study led by researchers at McLean Hospital (a member of Mass General Brigham) and Washington State University have demonstrated that naturally occurring glucose fluctuations impact cognitive function in people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).
The study published in the journal npj Digital Medicine revealed that cognition was slower in moments when glucose was atypical – that is, considerably higher or lower than someone’s usual glucose level. However, some people were more susceptible to the cognitive effects of large glucose fluctuations than others.
T1D is an autoimmune disease characterized by glucose variability. Previous laboratory studies have shown that very low and very high glucose levels impair cognitive function. However, technological limitations made it difficult to study the impact of naturally occurring glucose fluctuations on cognition outside of the laboratory, preventing researchers from obtaining repeated, high-frequency measurements within the same individuals over time. High-frequency measurements are necessary to understand whether glucose fluctuations impact cognition similarly for everyone.
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