Association between microstructural white matter abnormalities and cognitive functioning in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Abstract

Abstract Background Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technique is important for exploring more sensitive imaging-based biomarkers in prevention and early treatment of cognitive dysfunction induced by type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Objectives To predict early cognitive dysfunction and detection of microstructural white matter changes in patients with type 2 DM by diffusion tensor imaging. Patients and methods A case-control study included thirty patients aged ≥ 18 years old of both sexes with type 2 DM and 30 controls. All subjects underwent to Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) “Arabic version”: to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and diffusion tensor imaging study (DTI). Results Mild cognitive impairment is related to type 2 DM (56.7% of diabetic group), reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) values, and elevated mean diffusivity (MD) values were related to cognitive impairment evaluated through Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in patients with type 2 DM. Conclusion The integrity of the white matter measured using DTI vary in MCI diabetics compared with non-MCI diabetics. Such changes have major implications on the cognitive function.