Processing Speed Vulnerable to Fluctuations in Glucose in T1D

FRIDAY, March 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), processing speed is vulnerable to fluctuations in glucose, according to a study published online March 18 in npj Digital Medicine.

Zoe W. Hawks, Ph.D., from McLean Hospital in Belmont, California, and colleagues used advances in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and cognitive ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to characterize dynamic, within-person associations between glucose and cognition. Intensive longitudinal measurements of glucose and cognition (processing speed and sustained attention) were obtained for 200 adults with T1D.

The researchers observed an association for large glucose fluctuations with slower and less accurate processing speed, although slight elevations in glucose relative to person-level means were associated with faster processing speed. There was no relationship between glucose fluctuations and sustained attention. Individual differences in cognitive vulnerability to glucose fluctuations were predicted by seven clinical characteristics: age, time in hypoglycemia, lifetime severe hypoglycemic events, microvascular complications, glucose variability, fatigue, and neck circumference.

"We found that minimizing glucose fluctuations in daily life is important for optimizing processing speed, and this is especially true for people who are older or have other diabetes-related health conditions," co-senior author Laura Germine, Ph.D., also from McLean Hospital, said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Abstract/Full Text