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Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to
memory loss. The brain's most important fuel is glucose. The entry of
glucose into the brain is regulated at the blood-brain barrier.
This barrier, which is formed by the cells that line brain
capillaries (very small blood vessels), controls the brain's
environment. It regulates the transport of nutrients into the brain
as well as the exit from the brain of chemically charged particles
and by-products of brain metabolism. Storage of glucose in the brain
is very limited. This means that a person needs a constant supply of
glucose from their blood for normal brain functioning. However, high
blood glucose levels do not make the brain function even better. Both
extended periods of elevated glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and very
low glucose levels (hypoglycemia) are believed to contribute to the
development of memory problems in people with diabetes.
The brain's high metabolic rate and the
corresponding need for a constant supply of sugar from the
bloodstream are required to fuel neurotransmission. Since learning
and memory depend on neurotransmission taking place, any lapse in the
system will affect the ability to learn and remember. Prolonged low
or high blood glucose causes your hippocampus to malfunction
biochemically, and the result is often impaired concentration and
attention, memory loss, and slowing of information processing speed.
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