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Cognitive deficits in type 1 diabetes linked to hippocampus changes
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Lower cognitive function in children with type 1 diabetes could be linked to abnormal anatomy in the hippocampus, suggesting a potential neural substrate for mild deficits, according to data presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research joint meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Daniel X. Peng, BS, and colleagues investigated hippocampal neuroanatomy in 142 children with type 1 diabetes (aged 4 to 9 years; mean age of onset, 4.1 ± 1.9 years) and 70 age- and sex-matched controls to determine associations with intellectual level and memory performance.
Daniel Peng
The researchers used cognitive assessments and brain MRI to evaluate hippocampal volume and 3-D surface anatomy. Results were compared between groups, and correlations between cognitive measures and 3-D surface anatomy were calculated within groups.
No significant difference in total hippocampal volume was observed between groups, but fine-grained analysis of 3-D hippocampal surface anatomy showed significantly smaller CA1 and CA2-3 subfields in the right hippocampus for individuals with type 1 diabetes compared with control participants. In children with type 1 diabetes, smaller hippocampal subfields were associated with lower intellectual level and lower memory performance.
“Studies have shown that children with type 1 diabetes, especially those with early onset or histories of severe hypoglycemic events, experience mild intellectual and memory deficits compared to healthy controls of a similar demographic,” Peng told Endocrine Today.
In animal models, Peng said, cumulative exposure to hyperglycemia affects the developing brain, particularly the hippocampus. These findings suggest similar vulnerability in that region in children with type 1 diabetes, but further research is needed.
“Only with longitudinal studies that are ongoing in our DirecNet consortium will we be able to more definitively understand the consequences of these hippocampal variations on cognitive function,” Peng said,
For more information:
Peng DX. #3545.1. Presented at: the Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research joint meeting; May 3-6, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia.
Disclosures: Peng reports no financial disclosures.