Key result
T1D with peripheral neuropathy is linked to ~15 mL lower gray matter volume versus controls.
Why the study?
Brain morphology, specifically gray matter volume and cortical thickness, and its associations with clinical characteristics remained to be characterized in adults with diabetic neuropathy.
Does type 1 diabetes with distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy associate with reduced gray matter volume and cortical thickness compared to healthy controls?
Case-Control (n=74)
Does type 1 diabetes with distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy associate with reduced gray matter volume and cortical thickness compared to healthy controls?
Adults with type 1 diabetes and distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy exhibit reduced total gray matter volume and decreased cortical thickness compared to healthy controls, which correlates with clinical severity.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Reduced GMV in T1D with DSPN may indicate central involvement; leaves open whether brain imaging aids neuropathy characterization.
In this study we investigated brain morphology in adults with diabetic neuropathy. We aimed to characterize gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness, and to explore associations between whole brain morphology and clinical characteristics. 46 adults with type 1 diabetes and distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy (DSPN) and 28 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans. GMV and cortical thickness were estimated using voxel-/surface-based morphometry. Associations between total GMV and clinical characteristics were explored. Adults with DSPN had reduced total GMV compared with controls (627.4 ± 4.1 mL vs. 642.5 ± 5.2 mL, P = 0.026). GMV loss was more pronounced for participants with painful neuropathy compared with controls (619.1±8.9 mL vs. 642.4±5.2 mL, P = 0.026) and for those with proliferative vs. non-proliferative retinopathy (609.9 ± 6.8 mL vs. 636.0 ± 4.7 mL, P = 0.003). Characteristics such as severity of neuropathy and decreased parietal N-acetylaspartate/creatine metabolite concentration seem to be related to GMV loss in this cohort. Regional GMV loss was confined to bilateral thalamus/putamen/caudate, occipital and precentral regions, and decreased cortical thickness was identified in frontal areas. Since the observed total GMV loss influenced with clinical characteristics, brain imaging could be useful for supplementary characterization of diabetic neuropathy. The regional brain changes could suggest that some areas are more vulnerable in this cohort.
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Hansen et al. (2021) conducted a case-control in Type 1 diabetes and distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy (n=74). Type 1 diabetes and distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on Total gray matter volume (GMV) (p=0.026). Adults with type 1 diabetes and distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy had reduced total gray matter volume compared with healthy controls (627.4 vs. 642.5 mL, P=0.026).
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