Chronic high blood sugar may be detrimental to the developing brain of young children

NIH | JANUARY 4, 2015

Young children who have long-term high blood sugar levels are more likely to have slower brain growth, according to researchers at centers including the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers did not find significant cognitive differences between the healthy children and those with type 1 diabetes, but they believe a continuing study with the same groups of children may show changes there as well.

The study tracked 144 children ages 4 to 9 who had been living with type 1diabetes for an average of 2 and one-half years. Researchers used MRI scans to examine brain structure and function in the children with type 1 diabetes compared with 72 healthy children, including siblings. The children were well-matched for age, body mass index and socioeconomic status. Researchers found significantly slower brain growth overall, as well as in specific brain regions.

This study shows that chronic high blood sugar levels may slow growth in the brain’s gray matter, which affects cells and signals, as well as in the brain’s white matter, which affects the brain’s wiring.

In addition to high blood sugar levels, researchers found that blood sugar levels often varied, spiking too high and dropping too low. These sharp swings raised concerns about the impact to brain function.

The findings could lead to a major shift in the way children with type 1diabetes are treated.

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