Central And Peripheral Actions Of Insulin For The Control Of Muscle Capillary Recruitment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,973.00
Summary
Type 2 diabetes is on the increase world wide and reflects the ever-increasing incidence of obesity. Whereas the likely cause of type 2 diabetes includes low physical activity and high fat diet, the primary metabolic abnormality is likely to be muscle insulin resistance. The cause of this resistance is controversial, but may stem from microvascular dysfunction where muscle becomes poorly perfused and unresponsive to the action of insulin to recruit capillary flow. In this project we will further ....Type 2 diabetes is on the increase world wide and reflects the ever-increasing incidence of obesity. Whereas the likely cause of type 2 diabetes includes low physical activity and high fat diet, the primary metabolic abnormality is likely to be muscle insulin resistance. The cause of this resistance is controversial, but may stem from microvascular dysfunction where muscle becomes poorly perfused and unresponsive to the action of insulin to recruit capillary flow. In this project we will further extend our seminal discoveries that insulin mediates capillary recruitment under normal circumstances and that in various models of insulin resistance insulin's ability to increase the perfusion of muscle is markedly impaired. We will explore the hypothesis, that insulin controls microvascular perfusion of muscle by a central neural mechanism ending at terminal arterioles on the vasculature and endeavour to identify the details of this control. We will use in-house novel techniques for examining both the role of central control mechanisms involving the brain as well as peripheral mechanisms by local infusion of various agents likely to either enhance or block insulin's microvascular action. A positive outcome will enhance our understanding of insulin action and the insulin resistance that precedes type 2 diabetes. There is also the possible outcome that important clues will be obtained leading to new therapeutic agents that could be used to treat type 2 diabetes.Read moreRead less
Insights Into The Acute Cerebral Lesion Of Childhood Diabetes And It's Neuropsychological Sequelae
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$416,000.00
Summary
Type 1 diabetes in childhood is a major cause of morbidity with an Australian prevalence of approximately 20 per 100,000 children under 15 years of age. The leading cause of death in type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents is diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by cerebral oedema (brain swelling), the origins of which remain unknown. This research is aimed at providing an insight into changes in the brain of children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and the relationship of these brain changes ....Type 1 diabetes in childhood is a major cause of morbidity with an Australian prevalence of approximately 20 per 100,000 children under 15 years of age. The leading cause of death in type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents is diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by cerebral oedema (brain swelling), the origins of which remain unknown. This research is aimed at providing an insight into changes in the brain of children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and the relationship of these brain changes to short and long term neuropsychological functioning. The major aim of this project is to provide an insight into brain changes of children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and the relationship of these brain changes to subseuqent brain function. This is a study where we will simply observe differences between newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients with no ktoacidosis, ketoacidosis or ketoacidosis with brain swelling over 6 months. We will measure brain function using various techniques includiung: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), electrophysiology (EEG) and neuropsychological tests. The significance of this project is that it will provide insight into the brain impairment of diabetic patients with and without DKA, and with brain swelling in the context of DKA. By further clarifying the nature of brain impairment we will provide early intervention strategies to improve psychological development of the young patients with diabetes. In addition to this we hope to better understand the origins of brain swelling during DKA and design treatment protocols that will prevent this devastating complication.Read moreRead less