Extensive research is finding that diabetes is closely linked with a decline in cognitive function.

New research that was published in the journal Neurology has revealed that people with type 2 diabetes show a decline in cognitive function as well as the ability to perform daily activities over a two-year period.

The study shows that these changes are linked with the impaired ability to regulate blood flow in the brain, a common part of the disease due to inflammation. In patients with diabetes, the brain’s normal distribution of blood to areas of increased neural activity is impaired, according to Huffington Post.

“We have shown that people with diabetes have abnormal blood flow regulation in the brain, namely impaired ability to increase blood flow and deliver sugar and oxygen to the brain during episodes of increased mental activity,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Vera Novak of the Harvard Medical School said. “Inflammation further alters blood flow regulation in diabetic people and contributes to mental and functional decline.”

As part of the study, 65 women and men of an average age of 66 were given a series of memory and cognition tests at the onset of the study and then two years later. Half of the participants had type 2 diabetes, and the other half did not. During the study the participants also received brain scans to measure brain volume and blood flow as well as blood tests that measured inflammation and blood sugar control.

Experts are now referring to Alzheimer’s disease as “Type 3 diabetes.” This link has been made over time due to the clear link between diabetes and cognitive decline.

With each study, researchers are hoping to discover better ways to treat the degeneration of thinking and memory skills that have been co-occurring with diabetes. Until then, professionals are striving for better detection and monitoring of blood flow regulation in order to predict and manage cognitive challenges.