Brain Health

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Targets Cognition in Diabetic Elderly at Dementia Risk

Diabetes dramatically raises dementia risk, and people with both diabetes and mild cognitive impairment represent an urgent intervention target. This completed pilot randomized controlled trial from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai tested hyperbaric oxygen therapy against a sham control in 155 diabetic elderly participants with mild cognitive impairment. The trial measured changes in cognitive functioning, cerebral blood flow, and brain glucose uptake — three core mechanisms linking diabetes to neurodegeneration. HBOT delivers high-pressure oxygen to tissues, potentially reversing the vascular and metabolic deficits that accelerate brain aging in diabetics. Results from this trial, which completed in April 2024, are not yet publicly available in the abstract, but the study was designed to inform a larger multi-center investigation. If effective, HBOT could offer a non-pharmacological option to slow or reverse early cognitive decline in a high-risk population.