Executive task-based brain function in children with type 1 diabetes: An observational study

by Lara C. Foland-Ross, Bruce Buckingam, Nelly Mauras, Ana Maria Arbelaez, William V. Tamborlane, Eva Tsalikian, Allison Cato, Gabby Tong, Kimberly Englert, Paul K. Mazaika, Allan L. Reiss, for the Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet) BackgroundOptimal glycemic control is particularly difficult to achieve in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet the influence of dysglycemia on the developing brain remains poorly understood. Methods and findingsUsing a large multi-site study framework, we investigated activation patterns using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 93 children with T1D (mean age 11.5 ± 1.8 years; 45.2% female) and 57 non-diabetic (control) children (mean age 11.8 ± 1.5 years; 50.9% female) as they performed an executive function paradigm, the go/no-go task. Children underwent scanning and cognitive and clinical assessment at 1 of 5 different sites. Group differences in activat ion occurring during the contrast of “no-go> go ” were examined while controlling for age, sex, and scan site. Results indicated that, despite equivalent task performance between the 2 groups, children with T1D exhibited increased activation in executive control regions (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal and supramarginal gyri;p = 0.010) and reduced suppression of activation in the posterior node of the default mode network (DMN;p = 0.006). Secondary analyses indicated associations between activation patterns and behavior and clinical disease cou...
Source: PLoS Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Source Type: research