A new study found that a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) can negatively affect the structures and functions of the brain. As diabetes is most commonly associated with numerous conditions affecting the heart, kidneys and other parts of the body, the current association of the metabolic disorder with neurological health is rather new.
The researchers conducted the study by enrolling 65 participants in a 2-year prospective investigation. Baseline data were collated and compared with the results after the study was completed. The cerebral perfusion in global and regional parts of the brain, as well as its vasoreactivity, were measured using constant arterial spin labeling at 3-tesla MRI. The researchers also looked into the relationship between the reactivity rate of the blood vessels in the brain, the parameters indicating inflammation and the cognitive abilities of the study subjects through least squares models.
The findings of the study published in the journal Neurology show that after 2 years, numerous cognitive functions and global and regional reactivity of blood vessels in the brain decreased in the participants diagnosed with T2DM compared with the previously collected data at the start of the study. The researchers were able to establish a link between lower cerebral vasoreactivity and more decline in daily tasks, as well as between crude global dilation of blood vessels and greater decrease in executive functions.
The researchers were also able to identify that the flexibility of the blood vessels of the T2DM group were reduced while those without diabetes exhibited little change. As diabetes can cause less-efficient flow to the different parts of the body, including the brain, daily functions may be impaired.
When an individual does any activity, the tendency of the blood vessels is to dilate slightly as blood rushes toward the body organ involved in that particular task and subsequently provide oxygen and nutrients for efficient execution. However, when blood sugar levels are increased in the blood, the vessels become less reactive and malleable so that adequate perfusion is typically not attained.
"When doing any task, from cognition to moving your fingers, you need to increase blood flow to that specific area of the brain," says Dr. Vera Novak, co- author and associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "With diabetes, however, that vasodilation ability is reduced, so you have fewer resources to perform any task."
The team of researchers continues to expand their study as they now look into the possible ways that can help to enhance brain functions through blood vessel modification and other measures. An example of a possible intervention associated with this new aim is the administration of insulin via inhalation or hypertensive drugs to restore the activities of the blood vessels.
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