Adolescents with type 1 diabetes showed longer motor and navigation times than healthy peers. The study in Diabetologia assessed spatial navigation using the virtual Morris water maze task and examined the impact of diabetes-related variables.

The cohort included 74 adolescents (mean age 15.6 ± 3.1 years; 45 boys) with type 1 diabetes and matched controls. Collected variables included disease duration, diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis, and continuous glucose monitoring metrics, with emphasis on nocturnal glycaemia. Time to first move, time to platform, and path length were measured in visible and hidden platform stages.

Both boys and girls with type 1 diabetes had a longer time to first move in the visible platform stage than controls (p=0.036 and p=0.002). Hidden platform outcomes were similar across groups. In adjusted regression analyses, diabetes duration independently predicted longer time to platform (β=0.464; p<0.001), and nocturnal time spent in marked hypoglycaemia predicted longer path length (β=0.397; p=0.002).

These findings indicate that spatial navigation performance in adolescents with type 1 diabetes is shaped by disease duration and recent nocturnal glycaemic excursions.