Neurovascular coupling dysfunction in type 2 diabetes patients

Motivation: The neurovascular coupling is the basic structure of neurovascular unit. Various pathological injuries lead to abnormalities in neuronal activity and blood flow resulting in impaired function. There is still not much research on the coupling pattern. Goal(s): We hypothesize that there exists an abnormal NVC pattern for T2DM. Approach: We recruited 40 patients clinically diagnosed with T2DM, healthy controls and underwent BOLD fMRI scanning and image analysis. Results: Results found significant decreased CBF-ALFF ratio in supramarginal and frontal gyrus, and increased values in middle frontal gyrus of T2DM. The ALFF and CBF was found to be reduced or elevated in several brain regions. Impact: In addition to the frontal and parietal gyrus, the cerebellum is also involved in the mechanisms of brain function impairment in T2DM. The different coupling results indicate the existence of mutually constraining balancing mechanism between neural activity and blood perfusion.