209-OR: ADA Presidents' Select Abstract: Type 1 Diabetes and the Developing Brain—A Longitudinal Study of Brain Growth by the Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet)
Authors: ARBELAEZ ANA MARIA , O’DONOGHUE STEFANI , MAURAS NELLY , BUCKINGHAM BRUCE A. , WHITE NEIL H. , WEINZIMER STUART A. , AYE TANDY , TSALIKIAN EVA , WILSON DARRELL M. , TAMBORLANE WILLIAM V. , TANSEY MICHAEL , CATO ALLISON , HERSHEY TAMARA , FOX LARRY A. , ENGLERT KIMBERLY A. , REISS ALLAN L. 
Published: June 2019

Background: The extent to which glycemic exposure adversely impacts the developing brain in young children with early-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) is controversial.

Methods: As part of the multisite DirecNet Study, we performed structural MRI at three time points (baseline, 18 months and approximately 2.9 years after the second visit) in 137 children with T1D (age: 7.0 ± 1.7 years, lifetime average HbA1c: 8.0 ± 0.7%, and diabetes duration: 2.4 years at study entry) and 66 age-matched nondiabetic controls (7.0 1.8 years old). White matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) volumes in various brain regions-of-interest were determined by voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Total cumulative hyperglycemic exposure was determined as HbA1c area under the curve (lifetime A1c) from the time of diagnosis in T1D children.

Results: Children with T1D had slower growth of total cortical and subcortical GM and WM than the nondiabetic controls at all timepoints. Gray matter regions (frontal, temporal, subcortical, and occipital cortex) showed less growth in the T1D compared to the control group (p&lt;0.05 family wise error (FWE)-corrected), as did white matter areas (temporal, parietal, and occipital white matter) (p&lt;0.05 FWE-corrected). The occipital-cerebellar and basal ganglia regions appeared to be most vulnerable to the effects of T1D in children. The regions of slower growth were associated with higher lifetime A1c values (p&lt;0.05 false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that children with early-onset T1D and worse glycemic control have slower cortical and subcortical GM and WM growth than nondiabetic controls, suggesting that hyperglycemia is detrimental to the developing brain during this critical period of rapid brain maturation. The long-term consequences of these early alterations in brain growth require further follow-up.

Disclosure

A. Arbelaez: None. S. O’Donoghue: None. N. Mauras: Consultant; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc., PicoLife. Research Support; Self; Medtronic MiniMed, Inc. B.A. Buckingham: Advisory Panel; Self; ConvaTec Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Profusa, Inc. Consultant; Self; Medtronic MiniMed, Inc. Research Support; Self; Beta Bionics, ConvaTec Inc., Dexcom, Inc., Insulet Corporation, Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Tandem Diabetes Care. Other Relationship; Self; Insulet Corporation, Tandem Diabetes Care. N.H. White: None. S.A. Weinzimer: Consultant; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi. Consultant; Spouse/Partner; Tandem Diabetes Care. Consultant; Self; Zealand Pharma A/S. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Insulet Corporation, Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Tandem Diabetes Care. Stock/Shareholder; Self; InsuLine Medical Ltd. T. Aye: None. E. Tsalikian: None. D.M. Wilson: Advisory Panel; Self; Tolerion, Inc. Research Support; Self; Beta Bionics, Dexcom, Inc., Medtronic. W.V. Tamborlane: Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. M. Tansey: Advisory Panel; Self; Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited. A. Cato: None. T. Hershey: Research Support; Spouse/Partner; Sage Pharmaceuticals. L.A. Fox: None. K.A. Englert: Consultant; Self; PicoLife Technologies, LLC. A.L. Reiss: None.

Funding

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (DIRECNET: U01HD-41906, HD-41908, HD-41915, HD-41918, HD-56526, R01HD078463, U54HD087011; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR000448)