Brains of Elderly With Diabetes Use Less Oxygenated Blood

The brains of older women with Type 2 diabetes do not use adequate oxygenated blood, compared to those who are disease-free. The changes in the blood used in the brain could be the main reason for diabetes-related deficits in motor function. Problems with hands, fingers, and feet are the common motor problems associated with diabetes, which can affect the quality of life. The findings will also help to understand the loss of motor and sensory function especially in the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer's disease and its association with diabetes.

In the US, there are close to 24% of the 40 million people, over the age of 60 living with Type 2 diabetes.

"It's a pretty significant finding. Typically, when someone presents with a sensory or motor issue along with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the assumption is that it's the result of peripheral nerve damage in the hands and feet," said Stacey Gorniak, an associate professor in the UH Department of Health and Human Performance.

The research by the University of Houston are published in the journal Neurophotonics.

"Emerging evidence has suggested that factors outside of nerve damage due to Type 2 diabetes mellitus, such as impaired cortical blood use, contribute significantly to both sensory and motor deficits in people with diabetes," reports Gorniak.

A technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure the use of both oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in the brain. The fNIRS delivers infrared light into the scalp to measure the use of both oxygenated and unoxygenated blood use by the brain. The fNIRS method differs from MRI as an MRI cannot measure oxygenated blood use.

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"Our work demonstrates that motor changes in people with diabetes occur independent of sensory impairment and that these changes are unrelated to disease duration and severity. Our data point towards other factors such as changes in muscle and reduced function of the cortex as underlying mechanisms for problems in sensory and motor functions," Gorniak reports.

"We need to see what this looks like in a larger population, including men, and then we can start developing treatments or different ways we could potentially stop these negative impacts of Type 2 diabetes," said Gorniak.

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Source-Medindia