Moderate hypoglycemia impairs multiple memory functions in healthy adults.

The effects of acute insulin-induced hypoglycemia on short-term, delayed, and working memory were examined in healthy adults. A hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp was used to maintain arterialized blood glucose at either 4.5 (euglycemia) or 2.5 (hypoglycemia) mmol/L on 2 separate occasions in 16 healthy volunteers. Tests of immediate and delayed verbal memory, immediate and delayed visual memory, and working memory were administered during each experimental condition. All memory systems were impaired during acute hypoglycemia, with working memory and delayed memory being particularly susceptible. These findings are informative concerning the metabolic basis of adequate memory function and are of practical importance to people with insulin-treated diabetes, in whom hypoglycemia is common.