Region-specific metabolic characterization of the type 1 diabetic brain in mice with and without cognitive impairment

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been reported to cause cognitive decline, but brain metabolic changes during this process are still far from being fully understood. Here, we found that streptozotocin (STZ)-induced T1D mice exhibited impaired learning and memory at 11 weeks after STZ treatment but not at 3 weeks. Therefore, we studied metabolic alterations in six different brain regions of T1D mice with and without cognitive decline, and attempted to identify key metabolic pathways related to diabetic cognitive dysfunction. The results demonstrate that lactate had already increased in all brain regions of T1D mice prior to cognitive decline, but a decreased TCA cycle was only observed in hippocampus, cortex and striatum of T1D mice with cognitive impairment. Reduced N-acetylaspartate and choline were found in all brain regions of T1D mice, irrespective of cognitive decline. In addition, disrupted neurotransmitter metabolism was noted to occur in T1D mice before cognitive deficit. Of note, we found that the level of uridine was significantly reduced in cerebellum, cortex, hypothalamus and midbrain of T1D mice when cognitive decline was presented. Therefore, brain region-specific metabolic alterations may comprise possible biomarkers for the early-diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic cognitive decline. Moreover, down-regulated TCA cycle and pyrimidine metabolism could be closely related to T1D-associated cognitive impairment.