Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk of cognitive impairment and mood disorders. In a multicenter study conducted across 16 hospitals between April 2022 and January 2024, investigators assessed the impact of polyethylene glycol loxenatide (PEG-Loxe) on cognitive and emotional outcomes in adults with inadequately controlled T2DM. The results were published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.

A total of 269 patients who had persistent hyperglycemia despite at least 8 weeks of stable diet, exercise, and hypoglycemic therapy received PEG-Loxe 0.2 mg weekly for 12 weeks in addition to their current treatment. Cognitive and emotional performance was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), alongside laboratory measures including glucose and lipid parameters.

After 12 weeks, statistically significant improvements were observed in MoCA, SDS, and SAS scores compared with baseline. Correlation analysis demonstrated that changes in fasting blood glucose (∆FBG) and 30-minute postprandial blood glucose (∆30-min PBG) were significantly negatively correlated with changes in MoCA scores (r = −0.269, P < 0.001; r = −0.196, P = 0.007). A generalized linear model identified fasting blood glucose as significantly associated with cognitive improvement (P < 0.001), with a coefficient of −0.1455, indicating each unit increase in FBG reduced MoCA by 0.1455 points; the intercept was 0.6740 (P < 0.001).

Twelve weeks of PEG-Loxe treatment was associated with significant improvements in cognitive function and mood measures in patients with T2DM. Glycemic control parameters were significantly correlated with cognitive performance changes.