[Volume changes of cortical and subcortical reward circuitry in the brain of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus].
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the volume changes of cortical and subcortical reward circuitry in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.


METHODS
High-resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo MRI images were obtained from 16 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 16 normal controls, and 11 type 2 diabetic patients also received the same MRI scans after insulin therapy for 1 year. Volumetric analysis was performed and analysis of covariance and paired t test were applied.


RESULTS
A decreased volume was found in the left insular lobe, left nucleus accumbens area, right hippocampus, putamen and amygdala in type 2 diabetic patients compared with normal controls (P<0.05). After insulin therapy for 1 year, an increased volume of bilateral cortical reward structures was observed (left, 33.65∓3.66 ml; right, 33.35∓4.25 ml) compared the baseline level (left, 31.45∓2.90 ml; right, 31.12∓2.97 ml) in diabetic patients (P<0.05). No significant volume change in the bilateral basal ganglia structures was found after insulin therapy for 1 year (P>0.05), and bilateral ventral diencephalon area showed an increased volume after the treatment (left, 3.26∓0.68 ml; right, 3.20∓0.78 ml) compared with the baseline (left, 2.96∓0.76 ml; right, 2.82∓0.90 ml)(P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Type 2 diabetic patients have a decreased volume of the cortical and subcortical reward circuitry, and insulin therapy can reverse such changes and improve the damage of reward circuitry.
Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.E-mail: yyqf@hotmail.com.
Zhiye
Z
Chen
Jinfeng
J
Li
Mengyu
M
Liu
Lin
L
Ma
D000368:Aged; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000473:pathology
D007328:Insulin