Study reveals that the default mode network in children with Type 1 diabetes does not switch off when focusing on a task

A study led by Stanford scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine has shown that children with Type 1 diabetes show slight but important differences in brain function compared with those who don’t suffer from the disease.

The study, in PLOS Medicine, is the first of its kind to evaluate what occurs in the brains of children with diabetes during a cognitive task.

Abnormal brain activity

The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging scans when the children’s brains were at work to measure brain function. Compared to children without the disease, the children with diabetes displayed a set of abnormal brain-activity patterns that have been seen in many other disorders, including a cognitive decline in ageing, concussion, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and multiple sclerosis.

The study also reported that abnormal brain-activity patterns were more pronounced in children who had lived with diabetes for longer.

Lara Foland-Ross, PhD, senior research associate at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research at Stanford said: “Our findings suggest that, in children with Type 1 diabetes, the brain isn’t being as efficient as it could.”

Foland-Ross shares lead authorship of the paper with Bruce Buckingham, MD, professor emeritus of paediatrics at Stanford.

Allan Reiss, MD, study’s senior author and professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford said: “The takeaway from our study is that, despite a lot of attention from endocrinologists to this group of patients, and real improvements in clinical guidelines, children with diabetes are still at risk of having learning and behavioural issues that are likely associated with their disease.”

Blood sugar affects brain development

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas fails to make insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. To combat this, patients are given insulin via injections or an insulin pump. But even with treatment, their blood levels of glucose – the main sugar in blood – fluctuate much more than in healthy individuals.

Foland-Ross explains: “Kids with diabetes have chronic swings in blood glucose levels, and glucose is important for brain development.”

Brain cells need a steady supply of glucose for fuel. Earlier work revealed brain-structure changes and mild performance impairment on cognitive tasks in children with Type 1 diabetes, but the mechanism had never been studied.

Study methodology

93 children with type 1 diabetes had fMRI brain scans conducted. The children were assessed across five sites: Nemours Children’s Health System in Jacksonville, Florida; Stanford; Washington University in St Louis; the University of Iowa; and Yale.

An additional 57 children who did not have the disease composed the control group. All participants were between 7 and 14 years old. Standard behavioural and cognitive tests were given to all the children before brain scanning.

Whilst in the fMRI scanner, the children performed a cognitive task called “go/no-go” where different letters of the alphabet were shown in random order, and participants were asked to press a button in response to every letter except “X.” The task is often used in brain-scanning studies to evaluate what is happening in the brain while participants are concentrating.

The results showed that the children with diabetes performed the task as accurately as those in the control group, but their brains were behaving differently.

In children with diabetes, the default-mode network, which is the brain’s “idle” system, was not shutting off during the task. To compensate for the abnormal activation of the default-mode network, the brain’s executive control networks, responsible for aspects of self-regulation and concentration, were working harder than normal in the children with diabetes.

These abnormalities were more pronounced in children who had been diagnosed with diabetes at younger ages, suggesting that the problem may worsen with time.

Foland-Ross said: “The longer the exposure you have to dynamic changes in blood glucose levels, the greater the alterations in brain function with respect to the default-mode network.”

Studies in adults with diabetes suggest that in the later stages of the disease, the brain eventually loses its ability to compensate for this problem.

What’s next?

Scientists want to study whether achieving better blood glucose concentrations through treatment with a closed-loop artificial pancreas benefits children’s brain function. These devices electronically couple a blood glucose sensor to an insulin pump that automatically adjusts insulin delivery.

Reiss said: “We hope that with improvements in devices for diabetes treatment, these findings will either decrease in severity or go away. With better blood sugar control, children’s brains might be able to recover normal activity.

“Young brains have the most potential for plasticity and repair, but children also have a long time to live with the consequences, if problems with brain function persist.”

The paper’s other Stanford co-authors are Gabby Tong, an affiliate at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research at Stanford, and Paul Mazaika, PhD, associate director of computational neuroimaging at the centre. Researchers at all study sites also contributed to the work.

The post Children with type 1 diabetes display irregular brain function appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

High blood pressure aka Hypertension is one of the common ailments as one in three people in the world suffers from the same. For the unversed, high BP is when the blood against the artery walls is constantly high than normal. Because of the friction of high blood pressure, the tissues of arteries get damaged and the same can lead to other heart complications as well as brain and kidney issues. Fortunately, tweaks in lifestyle can lower a person’s BP reading. In order to lower the elevated levels of BP, one should make changes in diet by reducing the intake of salt, including more potassium-rich foods, veggies, fruits and incorporating some form of physical activity. Coming to diet, as per new research, tomato juice is one of the best ways to reduce high BP as the same has a positive effect. Speaking of tomatoes, the fruit is packed with several antioxidants and potassium and the same plays the role in reducing blood pressure. For the unversed, these nutrients negate the harmful effects of sodium. This is not all, the juice also helps to reduce the cholesterol levels as well. 

Dr. Nicole Weinberg, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Centre in California told Daily Express, “Like with many vegetables, tomato juice is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is high in vitamin C and B, as well as potassium.”  As per a study in Food Science and Nutrition, unsalted tomato juice did lower bad or LDL cholesterol among the Japanese adults who were at the risk of cardiovascular disease.  In the study, 184 males and 297 females were given unsalted tomato juice throughout one year. At the end of the study, blood pressure in 94 participants with untreated prehypertension or hypertension showed a significant drop.

As per another study which was conducted at Ben Gurion University in Israel showed a positive effect of daily tomato extract supplements on 31 volunteers who had mild hypertension. As per the study, the extract reduced the systolic blood pressure by an average of 10 points and diastolic pressure around four points. The researchers revealed that antioxidants such as lycopene, beta carotene, and vitamin E are the main health boosters. Dr Thomas Giles, president of the American Society of Hypertension told, “Artery walls are subject to oxidative stress, we are all rusting away. Anything with antioxidants may be helpful.”

Aside from good diet, being active and indulging in physical activities will also help to lower BP and keep your blood vessels and heart in very good condition. So, if you are suffering from high BP then make sure to do at least 150 minutes of moderate to high-intensity cardio workout every week. If you do not like the gym, then skipping, walking, brisk walking, jogging, cycling, taking stairs instead of a lift and swimming among others are some of the best cardio exercises anyone can include in workout regime. Losing weight, reducing the consumption of smoking, drinking alcohol and junk food will also help to lower blood pressure.

The post High Blood Pressure: Drink THIS juice to lower the elevated levels of BP appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Intensive blood pressure management can help in reducing the risk of developing white matter lesions as you age, a new study suggests. White matter is what makes up most of your brain, and you tend to lose it as you age. Compared to standard blood pressure management, intensive blood pressure management is better, because it’ll help in lowering the chances of thinking and walking problems.

Previous studies have shown how midlife hypertension is related to dementia and mild cognitive impairment in later stages of life. People who have high blood pressure in their 50s are more prone to developing white matter lesions as they age.

White matter keeps changing throughout adulthood, unlike grey matter. It’s made up of nerve fibres called axons. What causes it to be white in colour is myelin, a covering around the nerves that protects them. Thinning of this layer is what causes brain disorders like Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

What matter lesions are signs of high water content, ministrokes, and porous blood vessels. A team of experts conducted an intensive study to find the link between intensive blood pressure treatment and “progression of small vessel ischemic disease, as reflected by cerebral white matter lesion volume.”

The brain scans of 449 participants were studied by Dr Nick Bryan, PhD, from the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at the University of Texas and his team to arrive at the conclusion that intensive blood pressure control helps in regulating brain disease as people age.

The research, published in JAMA, made use of data on people who were studied for a four-year period. Some subjects were given standard treatment, which lowered their blood pressure to less than 140 mm Hg. Those who received intensive treatment had their blood pressure reduced to below 120 mm Hg. It was found that white matter lesions for those who received intensive treatment rose by a lesser volume compared to those who received normal treatment.

Dr Clinton B Wright, one of the authors of the study said, “Intensive treatment significantly reduced white matter lesion accumulation in people who had a higher chance of experiencing this kind of damage because they had high blood pressure.”

Lenore J Launer, PhD, and another co-author of the study said, “SPRINT MIND has produced promising initial results in the battle against the nation’s growing problem with aging brain disorders. Both the brain scans and cognitive tests reinforce the potential benefits that intensive blood pressure management may have on the brain. We hope that these findings will become the foundation for future studies on how to protect the brain throughout a person’s life.”

The post Intensive blood pressure management is good for brain health appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

New research led by University College London suggests that early blood pressure problems have a negative effect on brain health later in life. The investigation was focused on data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), which is the longest-running birth cohort study in the UK, 

The sub-study, Insight 46, was designed to identify early signs of dementia among individuals in the years leading up to their 70s. The research will provide experts with a unique perspective on specific risk factors that may impact brain health.

While previous research has linked high blood pressure in midlife to an increased risk of dementia, the mechanism which underlies this association has remained unclear. 

The current study followed 502 individuals from the NSHD, who were all born in the same week in 1946. The participants were free from dementia at the start of the study, and most of the individuals underwent scans to evaluate their brain health. 

The brain scans allowed the researchers to search for levels of a key Alzheimer’s protein called amyloid. The scans also showed the size of the brain and the extent of any blood vessel damage. In addition, the NSHD data included measurements of the participants’ blood pressure at various ages from 36 to 69.

The analysis revealed that higher blood pressure at the age of 53, or a gradual rise in blood pressure from 43 to 53, were both associated with more evidence of blood vessel damage or “mini strokes” in the brain by age 70. On the other hand, blood pressure was not associated with the level of amyloid protein in the brain or any memory problems at a later age. 

“This unique group of individuals, who have contributed to research their entire lives, has already shaped our understanding of the factors influencing health throughout life,” said Professor Jonathan Schott. 

“The Insight 46 study has allowed us to reveal more about the complex relationship between blood pressure and brain health. The findings suggest that blood pressure even in our 30s could have a knock-on effect on brain health four decades later.”

“We now know that damage caused by high blood pressure is unlikely to be driven through the hallmark Alzheimer’s protein amyloid, but through changes in blood vessels and the brain’s architecture. The findings show that blood pressure monitoring and interventions aimed at maximising brain health later in life need to be targeted at least by early midlife.”

Dr. Carol Routledge explained that, even though the Insight 46 study is not yet complete, the initial findings are shedding new light on the mechanism by which hypertension could damage the brain. 

“High blood pressure in midlife is one of the strongest lifestyle risk factors for dementia, and one that is in our control to easily monitor and manage,” said Dr. Routledge. 

“Research is already suggesting that more aggressive treatment of high blood pressure in recent years could be improving the brain health of today’s older generations. We must continue to build on this insight by detecting and managing high blood pressure even for those in early midlife.”

The post High blood pressure in midlife impacts brain health years later appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

New findings out of the University of Tübingen show that, on top of its benefits for metabolism, mood, and general health, exercise also improves brain function. In recent studies, researchers learned that obese and overweight individuals are prone to insulin resistance in the brain, where it provides information about current nutritional status, as well as the rest of the body. So researchers wanted to know whether exercise can improve insulin sensitivity in the brain and improve cognition in overweight individuals.

In the current study, led by Dr. Stephanie Kullmann, 22 sedentary adults with overweight or obesity (an average BMI of 31) underwent two brain scans before and after an 8-week exercise intervention, including cycling and walking. Brain function was measured before and after using an insulin nasal spray to investigate insulin sensitivity of the brain. Participants were also assessed for cognition, mood, and peripheral metabolism.

Even though the exercise intervention only resulted in a marginal weight loss, brain functions important for metabolism “normalized” only after 8-weeks. Exercise increased regional blood flow in areas of the brain important for motor control and reward processes, both of which depend on the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter for learning new motor skills and in reward-related learning and this research shows that exercise significantly improves dopamine-related brain function. One area in particular, the striatum, had enhanced sensitivity to insulin after the 8-weeks of exercise such that the brain response of a person with obesity after exercise training resembled the response of a person with normal-weight. Interestingly, the greater the improvement in brain function, the more belly fat a person lost during the course of the exercise intervention. Behaviorally, participants reported an improvement in mood and task switching, which is an indicator for improved executive function.

“The bottom line is that exercise improves brain function”, said Kullmann. “And increasing insulin sensitivity in dopamine-related brain regions through exercise may help decrease the risk of a person to develop type 2 diabetes, along with the benefits for mood and cognition”.

The post Exercise improves brain function in overweight and obese individuals appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

(MENAFN – The Conversation) If you want to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, there is no end ofadviceon theinternet telling youhow to do it: keep your blood pressure and blood sugar in check, lose weight, exercise more, avoid getting type 2 diabetes. Of course, doing these things is good for your general health, but ourlatest studyshows they probably do nothing to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Around50m peoplesuffer from dementia, and that number is expected to triple in the next three decades. The most common form of dementia isAlzheimer’s . People with this disease have a build-up of two proteins in the brain (beta-amyloid and tau), but it is not known if these proteins are a cause or a consequence of the disease. What we do know is that this proliferation of tangled proteins stops brain cells working properly, hence the typical symptoms of dementia: memory loss, confusion, difficulty performing everyday tasks, changes of behaviour, hallucinations.

In the past decade, there has been an emphasis on the role of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the development of dementia. For a while, researchers have known that these things are associated withvascular dementia . Vascular dementia occurs because of damage to blood vessels, such asatherosclerosis , which increases the risk of dangerous bleeds or blood clots in the brain. Blood clots and bleeds stop oxygen getting to parts of the brain which then leads to the death of those brain cells.

Atherosclerosis increases the risk of bleeds and blood clots in the brain.
logika600/Shutterstock

High blood pressure and diabetesincrease the risk of atherosclerosis and so will affect the delivery of oxygen to the brain. Some argue that the consequence of these diseases increases the changes seen in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, so it is believed that high blood pressure and diabetes increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

When considering the link between these factors, it is important to bear in mind how accurate dementia diagnoses are. With the tools we have today, a person will get a dementia diagnosis, for example, Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, with a60-90% accuracy . So between 10-30% of the people diagnosed with dementia get the wrong diagnosis.

The only accurate diagnosis

Most research about the association between high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease is done in a clinic. This means that the people in these studies are alive and may have been wrongly diagnosed. The only way to diagnose a person’s dementia disorder with nearly 100% accuracy is through autopsy, analysing brain samples under a microscope, so the best way to do research on this topic is through studies based on autopsies where you can confirm that the subjects had the correct diagnoses. And this is the approach we took with ourlatest study .

We wanted to investigate if the occurrence of high blood pressure and diabetes differed between people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s compared with those diagnosed with vascular dementia. Our research was based on 268 deceased patients, older than 65. We analysed brain samples to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer´s or vascular dementia. Using medical records and theSwedish National Diabetes Registerwe were able to determine if our subjects had hypertension or diabetes, or both.

We found a high occurrence of both high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes among the subjects with vascular dementia. The subjects with Alzheimer’s showed a distinctly lower frequency of the two diseases.

In the group with Alzheimer’s, 37% had had high blood pressure. The corresponding proportion was 74% in the group with vascular dementia. And 12% of the group with Alzheimer’s had suffered from diabetes, compared with 31% in the group with vascular dementia. AmongSwedes , 16% above 65 years have diabetes. One may speculate that by having Alzheimer’s you have a lower risk of getting diabetes, or by having diabetes you have a lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Despite these results, it is still important to keep controlling your blood pressure and avoid getting type 2 diabetes. These are factors that lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Instead, we hope that our findings can increase the knowledge about these risk factors and dementia types. The correct associations between risk factors and disease types will help scientists avoid drawing misleading conclusions and refrain from meaningless treatment attempts.

The post Alzheimer’s disease not linked to type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure new study appeared first on MyMedicPlus.