Type 1 Diabetes and Depression: Role of Brain Glutamate

The goal of this study is to examine the effect of chronic and acute hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) on brain glutamate levels using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and associations of brain glutamate with symptoms of depression.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Type1diabetes; Depressive Symptoms; Major Depressive Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Glucose Clamp

Detailed Description

The research of this study is focused on elucidating the relationship between the perturbations in glucose metabolism associated with T1DM and the higher prevalence of major depressive episodes in this patient population. Converging evidence associating high brain levels of glutamate with T1DM and depression leads to the hypothesis that the link between diabetes-related glucose metabolic disorders and depression is excessive brain glutamate. The overarching aim of the study is to examine the effect of chronic and acute hyperglycemia in T1DM on brain glutamate levels. Four subject groups were studied and characterized: T1DM patients with and without concurrent depressive symptoms, and non-diabetic subjects with and without concurrent depressive symptoms. Two brain regions were examined : the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), known to play an essential role in the regulation of emotions, and a control occipital cortex region. Regional brain glutamate concentrations were measured using high-field (3 Tesla) localized multidimensional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), regional indices of brain function were assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), concurrent depression symptom severity and depression history were evaluated using psychiatric assessment, extensive medical evaluation of patients was performed including evaluation of glycemic control (HbA1c), evaluation of behavioral performance on emotional and cognitive tasks and evaluation of regional brain cortical thickness using high-resolution structural MRI. For all subjects, MRS brain glutamate was assessed during basal euglycemia and, for a subset of subjects per group, during an acute hyperglycemic clamp. To control for potential confounding effects of hyperinsulinemia, brain glutamate was also assessed during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in a subset of healthy controls without diabetes or depressive symptoms.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 68
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

T1DM Subjects:

Inclusion Criteria:

• 10-25 years duration of T1DM.
• Relatively low levels of complications from diabetes.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Type 2 diabetes and/or gestational diabetes.
• Other major clinical conditions such as cancer, symptomatic coronary artery disease, (e.g., prior myocardial infarction), stroke, proliferative diabetic retinopathy requiring a laser treatment, clinically significant diabetic nephropathy as evidenced by urinary albumin levels > 300 mg/day and/or serum creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl for men and > 1.4 mg/dl for women, painful or symptomatic neuropathy, and/or diagnosed gastroparesis.
• Current or past history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, substance dependence or schizophrenia.
• Ethanol dependence and/or nicotine dependence according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV criteria and heavy smokers according to the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications scale 57.

Control Subjects:

Inclusion Criteria:

• No history of T1DM or Major Depressive Disorder.
• Normal fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and hematocrit levels.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known chronic medical illness such as rheumatoid arthritis or major cardiac, kidney or liver disease or anemia.
• Current or past history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, substance dependence or schizophrenia.
• Past history of a major depressive episode, as well as with current symptoms of depression as defined by a HAMD-17 score ≥ 10.

Subjects with depressive history and current depressive symptoms:

Inclusion criteria:

• History of at least one episode of major depression.
• A 17-item HAM-D (HAMD-17) score ≥ 10 and ≤ 27

Exclusion criteria:

• Current or past history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, substance dependence or schizophrenia.
• Subjects under current treatment with antidepressant medication.
• Subjects with acute severe depression or acute suicidal ideation, who in the opinion of the psychiatrist are clinically inappropriate for participation in the study.
• Subjects who in the opinion of the psychiatrist are clinically inappropriate for a one-week delay in antidepressant medication treatment.
• HAMD-17 score > 27.

All Subjects:

Exclusion criteria related to MR procedure:

Participants who have metal in their body, suffer from claustrophobia or panic disorder or women who are pregnant, or who are currently breast-feeding cannot participate in this research study.

Additional MR exclusion criteria include people with:

• Cardiac pacemakers
• Metal clips on blood vessels (also called stents)
• Artificial heart valves
• Artificial arms, hands, legs, etc.
• Brain stimulator devices
• Implanted drug pumps
• Ear implants
• Eye implants or known metal fragments in eyes
• Exposure to shrapnel or metal filings (wounded in military combat, sheet metal workers, welders, and others)
• Other metallic surgical hardware in vital areas
• Certain tattoos with metallic ink (subjects are requested to inform the investigator if they have a tattoo)
• Certain transdermal (skin) patches such as NicoDerm (nicotine for tobacco dependence), Transderm Scop (scopolamine for motion sickness), or Ortho Evra (birth control).
• Claustrophobia

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Baseline Euglycemia; Subjects with T1DM (Groups 1 and 2): 1) receive a low dose insulin infusion to reduce their plasma glucose to euglycemia; 2) receive a continuous infusion of insulin at the rate of 0.25 milli-Units/kg/min to maintain euglycemia during a Baseline MRI scanning period. Subjects without diabetes (Groups 3 and 4) are scanned during a Baseline MRI scanning period (no intervention is needed to maintain euglycemia in these subjects).	Procedure: Glucose Clamp; Subjects receive variable rates of glucose or insulin infusions to adjust and maintain desired plasma glucose or insulin levels.; Other Names: Hyperglycemic, Euglycemic, or Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemic Clamp
Experimental: Hyperglycemic Clamp; Subjects with T1DM (Groups 1 and 2): 1) receive a primed variable glucose infusion to attain a target increase in glycemic level of +5.5 mmol/L; 2) receive a continuous infusion of insulin at the rate of 0.25 milli-Units/kg/min. Subjects without diabetes (Groups 3 and 4): 1) receive a primed variable glucose infusion to attain a target increase in glycemic level of +5.5 mmol/L.	Procedure: Glucose Clamp; Subjects receive variable rates of glucose or insulin infusions to adjust and maintain desired plasma glucose or insulin levels.; Other Names: Hyperglycemic, Euglycemic, or Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemic Clamp
Experimental: Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemic Clamp; Subjects without diabetes or depression (Group 3) have a second study visit at least 15 days after the Hyperglycemic Clamp visit. They receive a variable insulin infusion to match individual insulin levels to the levels attained during the Hyperglycemic Clamp and they receive a variable glucose infusion to maintain euglycemia.	Procedure: Glucose Clamp; Subjects receive variable rates of glucose or insulin infusions to adjust and maintain desired plasma glucose or insulin levels.; Other Names: Hyperglycemic, Euglycemic, or Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemic Clamp

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anterior cingulate cortex glutamate concentration during Baseline Euglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	Baseline Euglycemia
Change in anterior cingulate cortex glutamate concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in anterior cingulate cortex glutamate concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in occipital lobe glutamate concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in occipital lobe glutamate concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in anterior cingulate cortex myo-inositol concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in anterior cingulate cortex myo-inositol concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in occipital lobe myo-inositol concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in occipital lobe myo-inositol concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	mmol/kg wet weight of brain tissue	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in Intrinsic Neuronal Activity from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	Fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) of fMRI signal	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in Intrinsic Neuronal Activity from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	Fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) of fMRI signal	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in Functional Connectivity from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	Correlation strength of fMRI signal fluctuations between brain regions	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in Functional Connectivity from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	Correlation strength of fMRI signal fluctuations between brain regions	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in plasma glucose concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	mmol/L	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in plasma glucose concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	mmol/L	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in plasma insulin concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperglycemia	micro-Unit/mL	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes
Change in plasma insulin concentration from Baseline Euglycemia to Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia	micro-Unit/mL	During the MRI scanning visit with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, up to 180 minutes

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hamilton Depression rating (HAM-D)	Hamilton depression rating Score from 0 to 51. Higher scores indicate worse depression.	Baseline
Revised Symptom Checklist rating (SCL-90-R)	Revised Symptom Checklist rating Score from 0 to 360. Higher scores indicate worse symptoms.	Baseline
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - intelligence quotient (WASI-IQ)	Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - intelligence quotient Score from 40 to 160 (mean = 100, standard deviation = 15). Higher scores indicate better intellectual ability.	Baseline
Grooved Pegboard task time	seconds	Baseline
HbA1c	Percentage	Baseline
BMI	kg/m2	Baseline
Emotional Stroop Task response time	milli-seconds	Baseline
Self Referential Emotional Task (SRET) response time	milli-seconds	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nicolas R Bolo, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bolo NR, Jacobson AM, Musen G, Keshavan MS, Simonson DC. Acute Hyperglycemia Increases Brain Pregenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex Glutamate Concentrations in Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes. 2020 Jul;69(7):1528-1539. doi: 10.2337/db19-0936. Epub 2020 Apr 15.
• Bolo NR, Jacobson AM, Musen G, Simonson DC. Hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia effects on anterior cingulate cortex myoinositol-relation to brain network functional connectivity in healthy adults. J Neurophysiol. 2022 May 1;127(5):1426-1437. doi: 10.1152/jn.00408.2021. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 26, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 2, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 5, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2022
• Last Verified: April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Hyperglycemia; Glutamate; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp; Euglycemia
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Mood Disorders; Immune System Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Depression; Depressive Disorder; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Depressive Disorder, Major
• Other Study ID Numbers: NIH R01-DK084202

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No