RT journal article
T1 Comparative profiling of neurological and biomarker status in type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis: A cross-sectional observational study
A1 Cano Cano, Fátima
A1 Cruz Gómez, Álvaro Javier
A1 Forero, Lucía
A1 Lara Barea, Almudena
A1 Lozano Soto, Elena María
A1 Espinosa Rosso, Raúl
A1 Rashid Abdu Rahim López, Raúl
A1 Alcalde Vílchez, Eduardo
A1 Álvarez Ramos, Pablo
A1 Aguilar Diosdado, Manuel
A1 Arroba, Ana I.
A1 González Rosa, Javier Jesús
A2 Psicología
K1 Type 1 diabetes mellitus
K1 Multiple sclerosis
K1 MRI
K1 OCT
K1 Cognition
K1 Neurodegeneration biomarkers
AB Background and objectives: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are considered chronic organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Their high prevalence, progressive nature, impact on daily life, the need for lifelong management, and increased co-occurrence have attracted research interest. However, the comparative evaluation of neurological and cognitive status in these diseases and their impact on multimodal neurodegenerative biomarkers remains underexplored.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 76 participants, including 18 patients with newly diagnosed T1DM, 26 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Additionally, 12 patients with long-duration T1DM were included in exploratory analyses to investigate the effects of prolonged disease exposure. Comprehensive assessments included clinical and neuropsychological evaluations, cellular immune profiles testing, alongside advanced neuroimaging techniques, such as whole-brain and regional grey matter (GM) volumetry and optical coherence tomography, for retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness. Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels were measured.Results: Patients with newly diagnosed MS and T1DM exhibited cognitive and mood disturbances, elevated sNfL levels, and distinct immunological and biochemical profiles compared with HCs. Patients with MS showed significant thalamic volume reduction and RNFL thinning, whereas those with T1DM did not exhibit significant GM volume loss or RNFL thinning. However, patients with advanced T1DM presented with increased sNfL concentrations and a trend towards retinal thinning. Partial correlations, controlling for age, schooling, or intracranial volume, revealed that impaired cognitive processing speed was significantly associated with higher sNfL levels, increased retinal thinning, and a smaller left thalamus volume.Discussion: Our findings emphasize the shared and distinct mechanisms of neurodegeneration underlying cognitive dysfunction in patients with newly diagnosed MS and T1DM, suggesting that both diseases involve overlapping mechanisms of immune-mediated damage and neurodegenerative processes that can contribute to the future development of neurological disability.
PB Elsevier
SN 2666-3546
YR 2026
FD 2026-03-03
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/40388
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/40388
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 05-nov-2026