Posted by iforgotmypassword on January 6, 2009, at 23:21:46
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Diabetics+risk+mental+deterioration+study/1146173/story.html
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Diabetics at risk of mental deterioration: U of A study
Thought function slowdown begins in early onset of disease, researchers find
By Keith Gerein, The Edmonton Journal
January 6, 2009
In another red flag for health authorities trying to stem a growing diabetes epidemic, new University of Alberta research suggests adults who develop the condition can expect a slowdown in certain types of mental abilities.
This deterioration, which can affect activities such as driving and playing games, appears to occur near the onset of the disease and persists into old age, says the study published in this month's edition of Neuropsychology.
The results mean the rising number of adult diabetics around the world -- already known to be at greater risk for heart disease, hypertension and stroke -- may also be saddled with mild but lasting impairment to their thought functions.
"The basic idea of the study was to find what aspects of cognition were affected most and earliest," said lead author Roger Dixon, a U of A psychology professor.
For the study, Dixon's team analyzed several types of mental processes in 41 people between the ages of 53 and 90 with Type 2 adult-onset diabetes. Another 424 adults in good health were also tested for comparison.
The results reinforced previous findings that diabetes weakens cognition, but went further by identifying the abilities most affected.
Of the five "domains" tested, the diabetics performed significantly worse than the healthy adults in two areas -- processing speed and executive function.
Executive function is responsible for planning, abstract thinking, and working out unlearned approaches to novel situations.
In particular, Dixon said his team detected an impact on inhibition, which might make sufferers less able to stop themselves from saying something they know to be incorrect or inappropriate.
There were no major differences between the diabetic and healthy groups in tests of episodic and semantic memory, verbal fluency, and reaction time and perceptual speed.
This means the cognitive slowdown has little repercussion for most aspects of a diabetic's everyday life, but can become noticeable during activities that require a high degree of monitoring and response, Dixon said.
The study also found that among the diabetics, the pattern of mental deterioration was essentially the same across all age groups tested -- indicating the slowdown begins early on in the disease, the researchers suggest.
Dixon said scientists are still unsure exactly how diabetes causes cognitive degradation. His team's research was pulled out of a long-term project known as the Victoria Longitudinal Study, in which subjects are tracked at three-year intervals to examine the effects of aging.
Further research may determine whether the early mental decline from diabetes can get worse over time or add to normal, age-related impairment.
Dixon said early diagnosis and proper management, including a regimen of mental exercises, may help control the problem.
New cases of diabetes have nearly doubled over the past 10 years and are accelerating, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. About 90 per cent of these cases in the United States are Type 2.
In Canada, the diagnosis rate is about 12 per cent for adults over 60.
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