The scientific community is very concerned about the growing number of people who are diagnosed with diabetes daily, a chronic disease that not only has repercussions on a physical level but also on a psychological and social level. According to previous research, patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes are more likely to suffer from depression compared to the general population and recent endocrinological work explains why.
According to research, recently presented in , high sugar levels in patients diagnosed with diabetes would increase the levels of the neurotransmitter associated with depression and alter the connections between the regions that control emotion.
When sugar levels increased, the strength of brain connections involved in self-perception and emotions decreased in diabetic patients.
The researchers studied 19 adults who were not depressed: 8 with type 1 diabetes and 11 healthy adults who belonged to the control group and used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to measure brain activity as well as Resonance Spectroscopy. magnetic to measure the level of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that at high levels is linked to depression. And finally, subjects underwent brain imaging when their blood sugar level was normal (90 to 110 mg/dl) and when their glucose was moderately high (180 to 200 mg/dl).
By observing the images, the researchers found that when sugar levels were increased, the strength of brain connections involved in self-perception and emotions in diabetic patients was reduced.
It was also discovered that increasing the level of glucose in the blood increased the level of glutamate in an area of the brain responsible for controlling emotions. This was found in patients with type 1 diabetes, but not in healthy patients.
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It is true that this study did not have a large number of participants, but its importance is that for the first time we have data that could help us design specific strategies to treat depression in patients with diabetes.
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