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Brain changes underlying cognitive dysfunction in diabetes: what can we learn from MRI?
Biessels GJ, Reijmer YD.. Diabetes, 2014-06-15
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Diabetes is associated with cognitive dysfunction and an increased risk of dementia. This article addresses findings with brain MRI that may underlie cognitive dysfunction in diabetes. Studies in adults with type 1 diabetes show regional reductions in brain volume. In those with a diabetes onset in childhood, these volume reductions are likely to reflect the sum of changes that occur during brain development and changes that occur later in life due to exposure to diabetes-related factors. Type 2 diabetes is associated with global brain atrophy and an increased burden of small-vessel disease. These brain changes occur in the context of aging and often also in relation to an adverse vascular risk factor profile. Advanced imaging techniques detect microstructural lesions in the cerebral gray and white matter of patients with diabetes that affect structural and functional connectivity. Challenges are to further unravel the etiology of these cerebral complications by integrating findings from different imaging modalities and detailed clinical phenotyping and by linking structural MRI abnormalities to histology. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms is necessary to establish interventions that will improve long-term cognitive outcomes for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Key findings
- Diabetes is associated with cognitive dysfunction and an increased risk of dementia.
- Type 2 diabetes is associated with global brain atrophy and an increased burden of small-vessel disease.
Why it matters
This review states that diabetes is associated with cognitive dysfunction and an increased risk of dementia, and that type 2 diabetes is associated with global brain atrophy and an increased burden of small-vessel disease. It discusses brain changes on MRI and states that a better understanding of mechanisms is necessary to establish interventions, but no treatment, cure, or prevention is tested.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Diabetes) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Diabetes: journal h-index 447 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 296 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 21.1 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 17.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 11 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 48 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Yaël D. Reijmer: h-index 41 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24931032) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Biessels, G. J., & Reijmer, Y. D. (2014). Brain changes underlying cognitive dysfunction in diabetes: what can we learn from MRI? Diabetes. https://doi.org/10.2337/db14-0348
Vancouver
Biessels GJ, Reijmer YD. Brain changes underlying cognitive dysfunction in diabetes: what can we learn from MRI? Diabetes. 2014. doi:10.2337/db14-0348. PMID: 24931032.
BibTeX
@article{biessels2014-24931032,
author = {Biessels, G. J. and Reijmer, Y. D.},
title = {{Brain changes underlying cognitive dysfunction in diabetes: what can we learn from MRI?}},
journal = {Diabetes},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.2337/db14-0348},
pmid = {24931032},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2337/db14-0348}
}
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