1151-P: Brain Networks Evaluated via Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging May Underlie Cognitive Findings in Youth with Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction & Objective: Neurocognitive impairment is observed in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Concerningly, studies of youth-onset T2D show lower neurocognitive scores than their peers without T2D. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a non-invasive manner to assess brain function and allows for the assessment of established brain networks. Elucidating alterations in brain networks that may lead to cognitive impairment in youth with T2D is critical for understanding the pathophysiology of brain related diabetes-associated complications. Methods: 150 youth are being recruited for a study of how T2D impacts brain vasculature, structure, and cognition. We examined brain function connectivity between established brain networks using resting-state fMRI among the first 15 adolescents with T2D (mean age 16.4 years, BMI 39.4 kg/m2, 66.7% female) and 18 age, race, sex, and BMI similar controls without T2D (mean age 16.1 years, BMI 37.8 kg/m2, 66.7% female). Primary analyses were focused on the connectivity between regions of the default mode network (DMN) and the salience network (SN), two brain networks involved in cognition. Significance was determined between the T2D and controls with an effect size (Cohen’s d) exceeding 0.9. Results: In youth with T2D, the connectivity between brain regions in the DMN (posterior cingulate and lateral parietal regions) and the SN (anterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex and supramarginal gyrus) demonstrates significantly weaker anticorrelation compared to controls. Conclusion: Cognition requires anticorrelation between the brain networks of the DMN and SN. Given youth with T2D demonstrated weaker anticorrelation between these two brain networks compared to BMI-matched youth without T2D, cognitive impairment in youth with T2D may, in part, be explained by differences in these brain network connections. Disclosure R. Brady: None. A.S. Shah: None. M.W. DiFrancesco: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (R01 NS125316)