Effects of short acting insulin analogues on brain activity using fMRI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Physiological and Neurological Effects of Short Acting Insulin Analogues on Brain Activity Using MRI - A Pilot Study
IRAS ID
210987
Contact name
Gary G. Adams
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study aims to investigate the effects of glucose on the brains of diabetic patients, specifically those with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) undertaking insulin therapy, in comparison to brain responses from health volunteers.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a condition where a patient is unable to control the glucose levels in their bloodstream. In healthy individuals, the body produces insulin which triggers the removal of glucose from the bloodstream. In T1DM, the patient does not produce viable insulin, whereas Type 2 is where insulin is produced, but the body’s response to insulin is diminished. This investigation will focus on the effects of extraneous insulin on T1DM patients.
Insulin analogues have been available for patient use since 1996. They are produced through small changes to the human insulin structure, however these small changes can have dramatic consequences on the action of the insulins once injected. A category of analogues, termed “Rapid-acting”, have small changes to their structures which increase the speed at which insulin acts. However, the long-term impact of these changes have not been fully explored, especially in brain function.
This investigation will make use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a non-invasive imaging technique to explore the structure of the brain. Functional MRI (fMRI) will be used to track the activity in the brains of T1DM patients, as well as healthy volunteer controls, in response to drinking water, a glucose drink and a sweet control.
These results can then be compared with a healthy control volunteer group to assess whether there is any difference between those individuals who can control their blood glucose levels on their own, and those who cannot without the aid of extraneous insulin therapy. Secondly it can be used to compare the responses from T1DM on different insulins.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0305
Date of REC Opinion
1 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion