Identifying compensatory mechanisms against dementia in diabetes: an integrative study from observation to intervention
Description: Diabetes increases dementia risk. The goal of this project is to identify the pathways linking diabetes to dementia and to test the hypothesis that the risk effect of diabetes on the brain can be counteracted by low vascular risk, healthy diet, a high cognitive reserve accumulated via healthy behaviors, and optimal antidiabetic medications, independently of genetic susceptibility and neurodegenerative burden. We will implement 5 interrelated projects to achieve 5 aims: 1) identify genetic, vascular, metabolic and inflammatory pathways linking diabetes to dementia, 2) examine whether and to what extent a low vascular burden delays dementia onset in people with diabetes, 3) investigate whether healthy diet counteracts risk of diabetes on dementia and brain lesions, 4) explore whether high cognitive reserve modifies risk of diabetes on dementia taking genetic factors and neurodegenerative markers into account, and 5) detect the optimal antidiabetic drugs that may retard cognitive decline. This project will be carried out within two population-based cohort studies, a postmortem study and an intervention study: 1) the Swedish National study on Aging and Care-Kungsholmen, 2) the HARMONY, a Swedish twin study on dementia, 3) the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a neuropathological study, and 4) the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study, a clinical trial. Findings from this project will provide new avenues to prevent dementias in people with diabetes, the most common disorder worldwide.
Funder: Vetenskapsrådet
Amount: SEK 4,800,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Project grant
Start date: 2018-01-01
End date: 2021-12-31
Investigator: Weili Xu
Institution: Karolinska Institutet
Funded outputs count: 60
Funder award ID: 2017-00981
OpenAlex ID: G3075353051