How obesity and type 2 diabetes that start in youth affect the brain's blood vessels and thinking
Official title: Understanding the Impact of Youth Onset Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes on the Neurovascular Unit
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11264837 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Doctors will compare brain scans, blood flow, and thinking skills in teens with early-onset type 2 diabetes, teens with obesity but no diabetes, and lean peers to learn how diabetes affects the brain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $451,149 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS125316-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264837 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adolescents and young adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during their youth, plus age-matched obese and lean peers for comparison.
✕Less likely to help
Older adults with typical adult-onset type 2 diabetes, people without a history of obesity or diabetes, and children younger than the adolescent range are unlikely to match the study groups or benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would join one of three groups: adolescents with type 2 diabetes that began in youth, age-matched adolescents with obesity but no diabetes, or lean peers. You would receive MRI scans to measure brain structure and cerebral blood flow, blood tests, and tests of memory and other thinking skills. The team will look at gray matter volume, blood flow, and markers related to the brain's blood–brain barrier and vascular health to distinguish effects of diabetes from obesity. Results will be compared across groups to see whether early diabetes is linked to changes in brain blood vessels and cognitive function.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal early brain changes tied to youth-onset type 2 diabetes and lead to earlier monitoring or treatments to protect thinking and brain health.
How similar studies have gone: Prior smaller studies, including the investigators' own work, have shown reduced gray matter volume and lower cerebral blood flow in youth-onset type 2 diabetes, but larger focused comparisons separating diabetes from obesity are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shah, Amy Sanghavi — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Shah, Amy Sanghavi
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.