Study: Diabetes affects brain growth

Some parts of the brain in children with Type 1 diabetes grow more slowly than in children without the autoimmune disease, according to findings from a new study involving University of Iowa researchers.

The study, conducted by researchers from five universities through a 'diabetes research in children network” consortium, found that children involved in the study who had the highest blood sugar levels and those with the most fluctuation experienced the slowest brain growth, according to UI spokesman Tom Moore.

The findings, published this month in the American Diabetes Association's 'Diabetes” journal, show that although too-low glucose levels can cause seizures or coma, high blood sugar levels might be harmful, according to a UI news released.

'This study shows we need to strike a balance between high blood sugar levels and low sugar levels, and avoid those extremes,” UI pediatric endocrinologist Eva Tsalikian said in a statement.

Tsalikian, one of the study's researchers, said the better controlled the glucose levels, 'the less likely that a child's brain development will be affected.”

The study looked at brain structure and cognitive function in 144 young children with Type 1 diabetes and a comparison group of 72 children without diabetes. MRI scans over an 18-month period tracked brain development in both groups of kids and showed growth to be slower in several areas of the brain for children in the diabetes group.

'Young children with (Type 1 diabetes) have significant differences in total and regional gray and white matter growth in brain regions involved in complex sensorimotor processing and cognition,” according to the research.

That suggested that chronic hyperglycemia - or high blood sugar - 'may be detrimental to the developing brain,” the research shows.

UI pediatric endocrinologist Michael Tansey, also involved in the research, said in a news release that emerging technology - like continuous blood sugar monitors - could help prevent large swings in blood sugar levels.

As part of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers analyzed participants' brain function via standard tests of IQ, learning and memory, and mood and behavior, and they found 'no differences in cognitive and executive functions scores” between the two groups. But, according to Moore, researchers plan to follow the children for five years to determine whether they develop differences in brain structure and function.

The 'diabetes research in children network” consortium consists of five clinical centers and a coordinating center, including the UI Children's Hospital, and it aims to 'investigate the potential use of glucose monitoring technology and its impact on the management of Type 1 diabetes in children.”

Both of the UI pediatric endocrinologists involved in the brain-growth study conduct research for the UI Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, which was established in September 2008 and enabled through a $25 million gift from the Eagles organization.

The new center includes 20,000 square feet of 'advanced research space and cutting-edge medical equipment” on the third and fourth floors of the new UI Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building.