Mild Cognitive Impairment Subtypes and Type 2 Diabetes in Elderly Subjects

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is correlated to amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and to non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (naMCI). This study evaluated whether the T2D variable characterizes a peculiar cognitive profile in elderly patients. Moreover, it explores the association between glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c), T2D duration, insulin and oral hypoglycemic agent treatment, and cognition in elderly diabetic patients. Methods: Detailed neuropsychological battery was used to diagnose MCI subtypes. A total of 39 MCI subjects with T2D (T2D-MCI) and 37 MCI subjects without T2D (ND-MCI), matched for age, educational level, and Mini-Mental State Examination score, were included. Results: ND-MCI performed worse in memory and language domains than T2D-MCI. The amnestic subtype is more frequent among ND-MCI and non-amnestic subtype in T2D-MCI. In T2D-MCI, high HbA1c levels correlate with episodic memory (immediate recall) and T2D duration. Some indexes of episodic memory (immediate recall), attention, and visual-spatial ability correlate with insulin treatment. Conclusions: An association between T2D and non-amnestic MCI is suggested. In the T2D-MCI group, significant associations between insulin treatment and memory (immediate recall), complex figure copy, and attention were found.