• DOI:10.3233/JAD-131736
• Corpus ID: 11427444

Structural and functional brain changes in middle-aged type 2 diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study.

@article{GarcaCasares2014StructuralAF,
  title={Structural and functional brain changes in middle-aged type 2 diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study.},
  author={Natalia Garc{\'i}a-Casares and Marcelo L. Berthier and Ricardo E Jorge and Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre and Antonio Luis Guti{\'e}rrez Cardo and Jos{\'e} Rioja Villodres and Laura Aci{\'o}n and Mar{\'i}a Jos{\'e} Ariza Corbo and Alejandro Nabrozidis and Juan A. Garcia-Arnes and Pedro Gonz{\'a}lez-S{\'a}ntos},
  journal={Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
  year={2014},
  volume={40 2},
  pages={
          375-86
        }
}

• N. García-Casares, M. Berthier, +8 authors P. González-Sántos
• Published 2014
• Medicine, Biology, Psychology
• Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD

BACKGROUND
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an emerging risk factor for cognitive impairment. Whether this impairment is a direct effect of this metabolic disorder on brain function, a consequence of vascular disease, or both, remains unknown. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies in patients with T2DM could help to elucidate this question.

OBJECTIVE
We designed a cross-sectional study comparing 25 T2DM patients with 25 age- and gender-matched healthy control participants. Clinical information, APOE genotype, lipid and glucose analysis, structural cerebral magnetic resonance imaging including voxel-based morphometry, and F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography were obtained in all subjects.

METHODS
Gray matter densities and metabolic differences between groups were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping. In addition to comparing the neuroimaging profiles of both groups, we correlated neuroimaging findings with HbA1c levels, duration of T2DM, and insulin resistance measurement (HOMA-IR) in the diabetic patients group.

RESULTS
Patients with T2DM presented reduced gray matter densities and reduced cerebral glucose metabolism in several fronto-temporal brain regions after controlling for various vascular risk factors. Furthermore, within the T2DM group, longer disease duration, and higher HbA1c levels and HOMA-IR were associated with lower gray matter density and reduced cerebral glucose metabolism in fronto-temporal regions.

CONCLUSION
In agreement with previous reports, our findings indicate that T2DM leads to structural and metabolic abnormalities in fronto-temporal areas. Furthermore, they suggest that these abnormalities are not entirely explained by the role of T2DM as a cardiovascular risk factor.