Abstract #0426

Effects of Metabolic Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes & Hypertension on Cortical Thickness in the Brain

Ekaterina Tchistiakova¹,², Carol E. Greenwood³,⁴, Nicole D. Anderson⁵,⁶, Bradley J. MacIntosh,¹²

¹Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; ²Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; ³Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, ON; ⁴Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ⁵Rotman Research Institute,, Baycrest, Toronto, ON; ⁶Department of Medicine (Psychiatry) and Psychology, University of Toronto

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is associated with global and regional brain tissue atrophy as well as cognitive decline. In this study we examine the effects that physiological factors like blood glucose levels may have on the brain, as measured by cortical thickness. Our analyses indicate there is a significant correlation between fasting glucose and cortical thickness even among individuals that have subclinical fasting glucose levels. Regions showing the strongest association included bilateral superior temporal regions. Our findings suggest that regionalized atrophy in diabetic patients may be detectable prior to T2DM diagnosis, in brain regions that are implicated in dementias.