Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Of Brain White Matter Integrity In Type1Diabetic Patients

Objective:Higher brain functions impairment is more prevalent in patients with type1diabetes mellitus, indicating brain structural defects in type1diabetic patients. This study aims to explore the white matter features of type1diabetic patients and its relationship with depressive symptoms.Methods:Twenty-seven type1diabetic youth and eighteen age-and gender-matched control subjects completed diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics analysis was performed to identify the difference of white matter factional anisotropy (FA) between groups. Diabetic patients were assessed for fasting C-peptide, glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc) and depressive symptoms using Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).Results:Compared with controls, type1diabetic patients had lower FA in callosal body, right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) and right posterior corona radiata. Within the diabetic group, mean FA in the affected area of IFOF was negatively correlated with HbAlc (Spearman’s rho=-0.436, P=0.023, multiple comparison corrected P=0.045) and CES-D scores (Spearman’s rho=-0.462, P=0.015, multiple comparison corrected P=0.045).Conclusions:White matter intensity is decreased in type1diabetic patients. The decrease of FA in the right IFOF area may play a role in the development of depressive symptoms in type1diabetic patients.