Diabetes was associated with markers of small vessel disease (white matter micro and macrostructural damage) and neurodegeneration (smaller brain volumes). White matter hyperintensities have been associated with increased risk of stroke and cognitive decline. Other work has found that free water and fractional anisotropy may predict worse cognitive performance, even in normal-appearing white matter. Smaller brain volumes have also been associated with cognitive deficits. These findings highlight the additional ADRD burden this population faces due to their higher diabetes prevalence.
González et al. (Tue,) studied this question.