New Study to Explore Impact of Type 1 Diabetes on Children's Brain Development

A new study involving 11 clinical centers across the United States aims to uncover how type 1 diabetes (T1D) impacts brain health and cognitive function in children.

Led by the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, this five-year study has received funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which will be split among each clinical center.

Participating centers include institutions such as Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the University of California Davis, the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard University, Barbara Davis Center at University of Colorado Denver, University of Florida, Indiana University, NYU, Washington University, University of North Carolina and Nemours Children’s Hospital in Florida.

The study will explore critical questions about how environmental, lifestyle, social and clinical factors that affect brain development during childhood — a period crucial for cognitive growth.

Combined, the above centers will recruit more than 1,000 children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, ensuring a diverse participant group that reflects racial, ethnic and income demographics often underrepresented in past studies, according to a news release by the Keck School of Medicine.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that prevents the body from producing insulin, a hormone essential for regulating blood sugar. Without insulin, glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, causing long-term damage to organs, including the brain.

"Diabetes is a diagnosis that can be easily missed because early symptoms are so subtle," said Nicole Glaser, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist at UC Davis Health, said in a news release.

According to CDC research, type 1 diabetes cases in children are rising. If the trend continues, diagnoses could increase by 65% by 2060.

Currently, an estimated 352,000 Americans under age 20 live with diabetes, with approximately 18,200 new type 1 cases cases diagnosed annually. This increase highlights the importance of understanding diabetes' effects during childhood, a time when the brain is rapidly developing.

However, little long-term research exists on how type 1 diabetes affects cognitive functions such as memory, attention and executive skills during this critical time in children’s lives.

About half of adults with type 1 diabetes face significant cognitive impairment, including problems with working memory and basic function that affect day-to-day thinking, according to Sarah Jaser, Ph.D., professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt.

“Children with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk for neurocognitive complications, and the most affected skills include the ability to plan, working memory, and the ability to conduct mental math,” Jaser said in a news release. “Those cognitive function are critical to diabetes management. If those skills are impacted, it could make it difficult to manage diabetes.”

She added that researchers want to intervene or find ways to combat the neurocognitive issues at an earlier age so they can potentially prevent issues with diabetes management in adolescence and adulthood.

To better understand how type 1 diabetes affects children’s brains, researchers of the upcoming study will gather data on academic performance, memory, attention and behavioral outcomes like anxiety.

The study will also include a comparison group of children without diabetes to pinpoint how T1D-related factors influence neurocognitive development.

According to a release shared by Vanderbilt, the university hopes to enroll patients by 2025.

By understanding these influences, researchers hope to develop interventions that support healthier brain development and better diabetes management outcomes.

The diverse cohort of participants will mark a significant shift in diabetes research, which has historically focused on white children, according to the release.

This inclusive approach aims to provide a more full picture of how T1D affects children’s brain development from all backgrounds and how these effects can be addressed.

According to releases by a number of the participating centers, researchers are optimistic about the study’s potential to drive meaningful change, as they collaborate to finalize study protocols and begin recruitment.