We examined change in neuropsychological test performance related to
type 2 diabetes mellitus across a 6-year interval. A population-based
sample of 274 elderly participants (36 with diabetes and 238 without
diabetes) was examined at four occasions at a 2-year interval. The
participants were 80–93 years of age (M = 82.8 years)
and without dementia at baseline. The test battery included tests of
speed, visuospatial ability, short-term memory, semantic memory,
episodic memory, and the Mini Mental Status Examination. Several
models, taking into account diabetes and demographic data, were
analyzed using SAS Proc Mixed multilevel modeling. At baseline, there
were no significant differences in the neuropsychological tests related
to diabetes. The longitudinal analyses, however, showed that diabetes
was a significant predictor of decline for many of the tests. These
findings points to the conclusion that type 2 diabetes is associated
with accelerated cognitive decline in old age that may result in
dementia. (JINS, 2004, 10, 599–607.)