Amygdalar activity predicts future incident diabetes independently of adiposity.

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Authors
Abstract

While it is established that psychosocial stress increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM), two key knowledge gaps remain: 1) the neurobiological mechanisms that are involved in mediating that risk, and 2) the role, if any, that adiposity plays in that mechanism. We tested the hypotheses that: 1) metabolic activity in the amygdala (AmygA), a key center involved in the neurobiological response to stress, associates with subsequent DM risk, and 2) this association is independent of adiposity. AmygA and adipose tissue volumes were measured, and serial blood assessments for DM were obtained in 232 subjects who underwent combined F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG-PET/CT) imaging. Higher baseline AmygA predicted subsequent, new-onset DM, independently of adiposity and other DM risk factors. Furthermore, higher adiposity only increased DM risk in the presence of higher AmygA. In a separate cross-sectional cohort, higher AmygA associated with higher insulin resistance. Accordingly, the current study shows, for the first time, that activity in a stress-responsive neural region predicts the onset of DM. Further, we observed that this neurobiological activity acts independently of, but also synergistically with adiposity to increase DM risk. These findings suggest novel therapeutic targets to help manage and possibly prevent DM.

Year of Publication
2019
Journal
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume
100
Pages
32-40
Date Published
2019 Feb
ISSN
1873-3360
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.024
PubMed ID
30273797
PubMed Central ID
PMC6398601
Links
Grant list
P30 DK040561 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States
T32 HL076136 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL071021 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
P01 HL131478 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL137913 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL122177 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R61 HL141047 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States