CRP and Mental deterioration: The C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index (CTI) integrates metabolic and inflammatory status and may better capture the pathways underlying cognitive decline.<h4>Methods</h4>The study included 1, 580 patients with T2DM as the primary cohort and utilized the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, n = 4, 575) for external validation.