Understanding brain changes in kids with new Type 1 diabetes
Official title: Mapping Neurocognitive Complications of Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and Potential Risk and Protective Factors
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11370335 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multicenter study will follow young children with Type 1 diabetes and similar peers without diabetes to look for factors that influence brain development and thinking skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $559,495 |
| NIH project number | 5U01DK140764-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11370335 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 4–9 with a new T1D diagnosis, and demographically similar children without diabetes.
✕Less likely to help
Children without diabetes or outside the 4–9 age range may not benefit from this study.
What this research studies
This study follows prepubertal children aged 4 to 9 years who have recently been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, along with demographically similar peers without diabetes, to track neurocognitive outcomes over time. It uses a harmonized protocol across sites, combining clinical data, neuroimaging, and laboratory analyses to identify both risk and protective factors. Parents and children will participate in regular assessments, neurocognitive testing, and brain scans to understand how metabolic factors influence brain development. The goal is to uncover mechanisms behind cognitive changes and to guide strategies that protect or improve thinking and learning in children with T1D.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could lead to better ways to monitor and support brain development in children with T1D.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research suggests cognitive effects in pediatric T1D, but this study aims to clarify mechanisms with a larger, longitudinal design.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Belger, Aysenil — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Belger, Aysenil
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Neurocognitive health in young kids with Type 1 diabetes and factors that help or hurt
A study following young children with Type 1 diabetes to understand how the condition affects thinking skills and behavior, and what factors might protect or worsen these effects.
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Understanding Brain Changes in Children with Type 1 Diabetes
This research aims to understand how Type 1 Diabetes affects brain development and thinking skills in children.
-
Brain Health in Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes
This project looks at how Type 1 Diabetes affects brain development and thinking skills in young children.
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Improving access to continuous glucose monitoring for children with type 1 diabetes.
This study is looking at how things like race and income affect whether kids with type 1 diabetes can use continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), and it aims to find ways to make sure all children have better access to this helpful technology for managing their diabetes.
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Investigating how type 1 diabetes affects brain development in young children
This study is looking at how type 1 diabetes affects the brain and thinking skills in young kids, and it’s inviting children with diabetes and those without to help us learn more by doing some fun brain tests and scans over a couple of years.
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Understanding how Type 1 Diabetes affects brain development in children
This study is looking at how Type 1 Diabetes affects the thinking skills of young kids, exploring how things like high blood sugar can impact their brain development, so we can better understand and support children who might struggle with attention, learning, and memory.
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.