Relationships between Cognitive Performance, Neuroimaging and Vascular Disease: The DHS-MIND Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a known risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
• Subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden is hypothesized to mediate this increased risk.
• The Diabetes Heart Study-MIND investigated these relationships using cognitive tests and neuroimaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between neuroimaging measures and cognitive performance in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
• To determine if subclinical cardiovascular disease, measured by coronary artery calcified (CAC) plaque, influences these associations.

Main Methods:

• A family-based cohort of 572 European Americans was analyzed using marginal models.
• Cognitive tests and neuroimaging measures were employed.
• Models were adjusted for age, gender, education, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and intracranial volume.

Main Results:

• Higher total brain volume correlated with better performance on the Digit Symbol Substitution Task and Semantic Fluency.
• Increased gray matter volume was associated with improved scores on the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination and Semantic Fluency.
• Adjusting for CAC burden resulted in minimal changes to these observed associations.

Conclusions:

• Significant relationships exist between brain structure (neuroimaging) and cognitive performance in a cohort enriched with type 2 diabetes.
• Subclinical CVD burden showed minimal attenuation of these neuroimaging-cognition associations.
• Further investigation is required to elucidate the complex interplay between CVD, other factors, and cognitive outcomes.