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Insulin resistance, brain atrophy, and cognitive performance in late middle-aged adults
Willette AA, Xu G, Johnson SC, Birdsill AC, Jonaitis EM, Sager MA, Hermann BP, La Rue A et al.. Diabetes care, 2012-10-15
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective Insulin resistance dysregulates glucose uptake and other functions in brain areas affected by Alzheimer disease. Insulin resistance may play a role in Alzheimer disease etiopathogenesis. This longitudinal study examined whether insulin resistance among late middle-aged, cognitively healthy individuals was associated with 1) less gray matter in Alzheimer disease-sensitive brain regions and 2) worse cognitive performance.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Willette, A. A., Xu, G., Johnson, S. C., Birdsill, A. C., Jonaitis, E. M., Sager, M. A., et al. (2013). Insulin resistance, brain atrophy, and cognitive performance in late middle-aged adults. Diabetes care. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc12-0922
Vancouver
Willette AA, Xu G, Johnson SC, Birdsill AC, Jonaitis EM, Sager MA, et al. Insulin resistance, brain atrophy, and cognitive performance in late middle-aged adults. Diabetes care. 2013. doi:10.2337/dc12-0922. PMID: 23069842.
BibTeX
@article{willette2013-23069842,
author = {Willette, A. A. and Xu, G. and Johnson, S. C. and Birdsill, A. C. and Jonaitis, E. M. and Sager, M. A. and Hermann, B. P. and La Rue, A. and others},
title = {{Insulin resistance, brain atrophy, and cognitive performance in late middle-aged adults}},
journal = {Diabetes care},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.2337/dc12-0922},
pmid = {23069842},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2337/dc12-0922}
}
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Key findings
- Insulin resistance may play a role in Alzheimer disease etiopathogenesis.
- This longitudinal study examined whether insulin resistance among late middle-aged, cognitively healthy individuals was associated with 1) less gray matter in Alzheimer disease-sensitive brain regions and 2) worse cognitive performance.
- Research design and methods Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, gray matter volume, and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) were acquired in 372 participants at baseline and a consecutive subset of 121 individuals ~4 years later.
- Voxel-based morphometry and tensor-based morphometry were used, respectively, to test the association of insulin resistance with baseline brain volume and progressive gray matter atrophy.
Why it matters
In this longitudinal study of 372 cognitively healthy late middle-aged people, insulin resistance was examined for links to less gray matter in Alzheimer disease-sensitive brain regions and worse cognitive performance. The findings suggest insulin resistance may play a role in how Alzheimer's disease develops, but the study does not show that treating insulin resistance prevents or cures the disease.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants372
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Diabetes care) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Diabetes Care: journal h-index 509 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 372 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 219 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.6 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 39 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Barbara B. Bendlin: h-index 64 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Wisconsin–Madison: institution h-index 1,518 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23069842) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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