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Type 1 Diabetes and Incident Dementia
Anna M. Pederson, Peter T. Buto, Scott C. Zimmerman, Mabeline Velez, Kendra D. Sims, Audrey R. Murchland, Jingxuan Wang, Alana T. Brennan et al.. Neurology, 2026-03-18
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Among 283,772 participants (mean [SD] age 64.62 [8.96] years; 56.7% women), 60.3% identified as non-Hispanic White and 13.3% as Hispanic/Latino. Optimal DM classification algorithm cutoffs varied by reference standard: self-reported diabetes: ≥1 T1DM EHR encounter (sensitivity: 0.59; specificity: 0.90) and C-peptide: ≥3 T1DM EHR encounters (sensitivity: 0.76; specificity: 0.79). Defining T1DM as having ≥1 T1DM encounter, 5,442 participants had T1DM. Compared with those without DM, participants with T1DM had higher dementia incidence (sociodemographic-adjusted HR 2.82; 95% CI 2.28-3.48) and those with T2DM also had elevated risk (sociodemographic-adjusted HR 2.08; 95% CI 2.87-2.31). Results were similar across sex, race, and ethnicity strata. In AoU, DM was associated with elevated dementia risk, with the highest risk among those with T1DM. These findings highlight the need to better understand mechanisms tying T1DM to dementia.
Key findings
- Among 283,772 participants (mean [SD] age 64.62 [8.96] years; 56.7% women), 60.3% identified as non-Hispanic White and 13.3% as Hispanic/Latino.
- Optimal DM classification algorithm cutoffs varied by reference standard: self-reported diabetes: ≥1 T1DM EHR encounter (sensitivity: 0.59; specificity: 0.90) and C-peptide: ≥3 T1DM EHR encounters (sensitivity: 0.76; specificity: 0.79).
- Defining T1DM as having ≥1 T1DM encounter, 5,442 participants had T1DM.
- Compared with those without DM, participants with T1DM had higher dementia incidence (sociodemographic-adjusted HR 2.82; 95% CI 2.28-3.48) and those with T2DM also had elevated risk (sociodemographic-adjusted HR 2.08; 95% CI 2.87-2.31).
- Results were similar across sex, race, and ethnicity strata.
Why it matters
This cohort study found that people with type 1 diabetes had a higher incidence of dementia than those without diabetes, and those with type 2 diabetes also had elevated risk. It highlights the need to better understand the mechanisms linking type 1 diabetes to dementia.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants283,772
- Effect size56.7%; 60.3%; 13.3%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following 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 | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 4 / 4 | 283,772 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jennifer Weuve: h-index 57 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41849727) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000214805
- PubMed: 41849727
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Pederson, A. M., Buto, P. T., Zimmerman, S. C., Velez, M., Sims, K. D., Murchland, A. R., et al. (2026). Type 1 Diabetes and Incident Dementia. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000214805
Vancouver
Pederson AM, Buto PT, Zimmerman SC, Velez M, Sims KD, Murchland AR, et al. Type 1 Diabetes and Incident Dementia. Neurology. 2026. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000214805. PMID: 41849727.
BibTeX
@article{pederson2026-41849727,
author = {Pederson, Anna M. and Buto, Peter T. and Zimmerman, Scott C. and Velez, Mabeline and Sims, Kendra D. and Murchland, Audrey R. and Wang, Jingxuan and Brennan, Alana T. and others},
title = {{Type 1 Diabetes and Incident Dementia}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000214805},
pmid = {41849727},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000214805}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.