Diabetic Retinopathy and Brain Structure, Cognition Function, and Dementia: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study

Background: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that hyperglycemia is a possible risk factor for mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been identified as a risk factor for dementia in patients with diabetes. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the causal relationships between DR and brain structure, cognitive function, and dementia. Methods: We performed bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization for DR, brain structure, cognitive function, and dementia using the inverse-variance weighted method. Results: Inverse-variance weighted analysis showed the association of DR with vascular dementia (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.01–2.82), and dementia was significantly associated with the increased risk of non-proliferative DR (NPDR) (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.04–2.98). Furthermore, better cognitive performance was significantly associated with a reduced risk of NPDR (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.74–0.98). No association was observed between DR and brain structure. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the association of DR with vascular dementia. The reciprocal effect of cognitive performance and dementia on NPDR risk highlights the potential benefits of dementia prevention for reducing the burden of DR.