Altered spontaneous brain activity in type 2 diabetes: a resting-state functional MRI study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Endocrinology
• Radiology

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
• Patients with cognitive impairment often exhibit reduced spontaneous brain activity detected via resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in spontaneous brain activity in T2DM patients using rs-fMRI.
• To determine the relationship between these brain activity changes and cognitive function in T2DM.

Main Methods:

• rs-fMRI was employed to assess spontaneous brain activity using Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation (ALFF) and Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) in 29 T2DM patients and 27 healthy controls.
• Cognitive performance and brain volume were also evaluated in both groups.

Main Results:

• T2DM patients exhibited significantly decreased ALFF and ReHo values in the occipital lobe and postcentral gyrus compared to controls.
• Impaired cognitive performance in T2DM patients correlated with reduced activity in the cuneus and lingual gyrus.
• No significant differences in brain volume were observed between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Spontaneous brain activity abnormalities, measured by ALFF and ReHo, are present in T2DM patients.
• These functional changes occur independently of structural brain alterations and may underlie cognitive decline in diabetes.