Brain Health in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Risk and Protective Factors for Neurocognitive Development in Type 1 Diabetes

NIH-funded research University of California at Davis · NIH-11169883

This project explores how Type 1 diabetes affects brain development in children, aiming to find ways to protect their cognitive health.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of California at Davis NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Davis, United States)
Project IDNIH-11169883 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Children with Type 1 diabetes can sometimes experience changes in their thinking skills, which might make managing their condition more challenging. As new diabetes devices become available, good cognitive function is important for using them effectively. This project seeks to understand why Type 1 diabetes impacts the brain and to discover ways to prevent these changes. Researchers will follow 800 children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and 200 children without diabetes. They will look at factors related to diabetes and how they connect to brain development over at least 1.5 years to identify helpful strategies.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Children aged 6 to 11 years with new onset Type 1 diabetes, including those who experienced diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis, or children without diabetes, may be ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients outside the specified age range or those without Type 1 diabetes (unless in the comparison group) would not directly benefit from participating in this specific project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies to protect the brain health and thinking abilities of children living with Type 1 diabetes.

How similar studies have performed: While the link between Type 1 diabetes and neurocognitive issues is recognized, this multi-center project aims to deeply understand the underlying mechanisms and identify specific modifiable factors, building on existing knowledge.

Where this research is happening

Davis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired brain injury
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.