A medication for treating diabetes may have hidden brain benefits. Researchers have found that semaglutide, a popular diabetes and weight-loss drug, may lower the risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Dementia, a condition that slowly makes it harder for people to remember things and think clearly, occurs when brain cells are damaged and their connections stop working properly. This damage, which worsens over time, can be caused by various modifiable factors, including obesity, T2D, cardiovascular diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers demonstrated T2D patients taking semaglutide had a significantly lower risk of developing dementia compared to other antidiabetic medications. These results were more profound in women and older adults. Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide receptor (GLP-1R) molecule that decreases hunger and helps regulate blood sugar in T2D, is also the active component in the diabetes and weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic.
Semaglutide has shown a broad range of benefits, including reductions in cardiovascular diseases. The researchers analyzed three years of electronic records of nearly 1.7 million T2D patients nationally. The team used a statistical approach that mimics a randomized clinical trial. They found patients prescribed semaglutide had a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia, compared to those who had taken any of seven other anti-diabetic medications, including other types of GLP-1R-targeting medications.
AI offering insights in preventing dementia
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps clinicians identify brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The team used a single, widely available scan and it may turn into a transformative advance.
The tool is called StateViewer. It helped researchers identify the dementia type in 88% of cases, according to data published in the journal Neurology. It also enabled clinicians to interpret brain scans nearly twice as fast and with up to three times greater accuracy than standard workflows. Researchers trained and tested the AI on more than 3,600 scans, including images from patients with dementia and people without cognitive impairment.
This innovation addresses a core challenge in dementia care: identifying the disease early and precisely, even when multiple conditions are present. As new treatments emerge, timely diagnosis may help match patients with the most appropriate care at a time when it can have the greatest impact.
Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases each year. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form, is now the fifth-leading cause of death globally. Diagnosing dementia typically requires cognitive tests, blood draws, imaging, clinical interviews and specialist referrals.
The AI tool analyzes a fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan, which shows how the brain uses glucose for energy. It compares the scan to a large database of scans from people with confirmed dementia diagnoses and identifies patterns that match specific types or combinations of dementia.
Alzheimer's typically affects memory and processing regions, Lewy body dementia involves areas tied to attention and movement. Frontotemporal dementia alters regions responsible for language and behavior. StateViewer displays these patterns through color-coded brain maps that highlight key areas of brain activity.
Walking away from cognitive decline
A new study from the University of Georgia has found that adding a little more exercise to your routine may help stave off cognitive decline. Researchers analyzed data from more than 13,000 survey respondents and found that sustained physical activity can reduce the rate of cognitive decline for older adults.
These findings demonstrate the importance of maintaining consistent physical activity throughout life. Researchers found that longer and more frequent engagement in physical activity was associated with delayed cognitive decline. The researchers relied on data from the health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative study that followed adults 50 years and over for 16 years.
Respondents reported how frequently they were physically active as well as their level of activity according to intensity. Vigorous activities included things like running and jogging. Gardening, dancing or stretching were classified as moderate activities while vacuuming, doing laundry and making home repairs were considered mild.
The study did not look at specific exercise time, but rather overall activity habits, and found that individuals who sustained regular physical activity throughout their lives experienced a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline. For example, increasing vigorous physical activity from one to three times per month to once per week was linked to a measurable slowing of cognitive decline. Even increasing moderate physical activity from once per week to multiple times per week led to a slower rate of cognitive decline over time.
The authors of the study concluded that regular physical exercise could potentially delay the onset of dementia by many years, giving people more time to live independently and maintain good quality of life. The findings build on existing research that links physical activity with cognitive health, but what sets this study apart is its focus on the duration and consistency of activity over time.
Promoting consistent physical activity may be a key component of any program aimed at reducing dementia risk in older adults. Supporting building and maintaining long-term physical activity habits, through guidance from physicians and care providers, could help individuals adopt more sustainable routines by setting realistic, achievable goals, the researchers said.
John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute. He can be reached at medicalminutes@gmail.com.
John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute.
