Diabetes and obesity, two major public health concerns, are associated with 
increased risk for problems in multiple organ systems, including the central 
nervous system. The adverse effects of diabetes and obesity on cognitive 
functioning are increasingly well recognized. This special issue of 
Psychosomatic Medicine features the latest research linking diabetes, obesity, 
and brain structure, function, and metabolism and follows a special meeting on 
this topic organized by the American Psychosomatic Society in October 2013. 
Evidence for the increased prevalence of diabetes and obesity is reviewed as it 
relates to cognitive decline. These articles indicate that the age of onset of 
Type 1 diabetes may be relevant to future cognitive function and that disease 
duration of Type 2 diabetes and sociocultural factors are related to cognitive 
decline during the aging process. The hypothalamus and other neural circuits, 
notably the dopaminergic system that underlies feeding and reward-related 
aspects of food intake, are among the key factors involved in obesity. Research 
on the associations between obesity and cognitive function is described using 
the positive effects of weight reduction following bariatric surgery or 
behavioral methods. This special issue concludes with a conceptual framework for 
linking obesity and diabetes with accelerated cognitive decline as related to 
the aging process. The collection of articles highlights the importance of using 
a life span perspective to understand the influence of both Type 1 and Type 2 
diabetes on brain metabolism, function, and structure. Moreover, these studies 
show that distressing environmental circumstances can adversely influence 
neurocognitive dysfunction associated with obesity and diabetes.