Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Nov 15, 2024; 15(11): 2245-2250
Published online Nov 15, 2024. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i11.2245
Glymphatic system function in diverse glucose metabolism states
Haewon Byeon
Haewon Byeon, Department of Digital Anti-aging Healthcare (BK21), Inje University, Gimhae 50834, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
Author contributions: Byeon H designed the study, was involved in data interpretation, developed the methodology, preformed the statistical analysis, and assisted with writing the article.
Supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, No. RS-2023-00237287 and No. 2021S1A5A8062526; and Local Government-University Cooperation-Based Regional Innovation Projects, No. 2021RIS-003.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Haewon Byeon, DSc, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, Department of Digital Anti-aging Healthcare (BK21), Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae 50834, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. bhwpuma@naver.com
Received: July 19, 2024
Revised: September 22, 2024
Accepted: September 25, 2024
Published online: November 15, 2024
Processing time: 89 Days and 4.6 Hours
Abstract

The rising prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes globally necessitates a deeper understanding of associated complications, including glymphatic system dysfunction. The glymphatic system, crucial for brain waste clearance, is imp-licated in cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. This letter explores recent research on glymphatic function across different glucose metabolism states. Tian et al’s study reveals significant glym-phatic dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, evidenced by lower diffusion tensor imaging analysis along perivascular space indices compared to those with normal glucose metabolism and prediabetes. The research also reveals a link between glymphatic dysfunction and cognitive impairment. Additional research underscores the role of glymphatic impairment in neurodegenerative diseases. These findings highlight the importance of integrating glymphatic health into diabetes management and suggest potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and targeted therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Glymphatic system; Diabetes mellitus; Cognitive decline; Diffusion tensor imaging; Neurodegenerative diseases

Core Tip: Integrating glymphatic system health into diabetes management can improve patient outcomes by addressing both cognitive and physiological complications. Recent studies show significant glymphatic dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and its correlation with cognitive decline. Identifying clinical variables influencing glymphatic function may offer biomarkers for early diagnosis and targeted inter-ventions, enhancing the management of diabetes-related cognitive impairments.