Antidiabetic drugs and cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease that is a risk factor for cognitive impairment, some antidiabetic medication may be associated with the survival of neurons. Objective: To study the association of antidiabetic medication and cognitive functions in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods: we examined 240 patients with type 2 diabetes. The patients were divided into 4 groups depending on glucose-lowering therapy: group 1 - insulin, group 2 - tableting medication, group 3 - combined therapy, group 4 - analogues of glucagon-like peptide 1. All patients underwent general clinical examination, cognitive functions test based on the Montreal scale. Statistical analysis was performed using the R-system software package. Results: The overall score of the MoCA test was higher in the group of patients receiving glucagon-like peptide-1 compared with the patients in groups 1, 2 and 3, whose cognitive functions declined. Patients receiving only biguanides medication performed the cognitive test significantly better. The correlation analysis revealed that cognitive functions are affected by age, disease duration, complications presence, and HbA1c level. Conclusion: In type 2 diabetes glucagon-like peptide-1 and biguanides treatment is accompanied by better performance of the cognitive function assessment tests.