Teenagers with type 2 diabetes could have differences in the gray matter of the brain, found a small study.
The researchers conducted brain scanners with 20 adolescents with type 2 diabetes and 20 adolescents without blood sugar disease.Those who suffered from diabetes had less gray matter in six regions of the brain, and more gray matter in three regions.Some of the affected regions have to do with the view and ear, speech, memory, emotions, decision making and self -control, the researchers pointed out.
Gray matter is where thought occurs, experts noted.
The team, from the Medical Center of the Cincinnati Pediatric Hospital, also found an association among less gray matter and the ability to pronounce and state unknown words.
"Previous studies have suggested that young people with type 2 diabetes have changes in the brain structure and lower scores in the cognitive function, compared to their peers," said the main author of the study, Dr. Amy Sanghavi Shah, scientificMedical of the Hospital Endocrinology Division.
"The total and regional volume had not been evaluated in an integral way so far. We also sought to determine if the findings we found here could explain the lowest cognitive scores," Shah said in a hospital press release.
The researchers emphasized that they only found an association."Our results show no causality," said the author of the study, Dr. Jacob Redel, a member of the Endocrinology Division.
"We do not know if the changes we find are a direct result of diabetes, but studies in adults with type 2 diabetes with a longer duration of the disease also show differences in brain volume, vascular changes in the brain and cognitive decline,"said Redel.
"Our findings suggest that preventing type 2 diabetes in adolescents is important to prevent possible complications in the future," he added.
The study was presented on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association (American Diabetes Association), in New Orleans.The research presented in meetings are considered preliminary until they are published in a medical magazine reviewed by professionals.
Redel and its collaborators hope to carry out a larger study to determine whether the differences in the gray matter observed in adolescents with type 2 diabetes are more firmly linked to obesity or the high level of blood sugar, and if other brain functions, such as intellect, attention, memory and language, are affected.
Article by Healthday