Project R-15234

The effect of exercise of high vs. moderate intensity on the brain intype 2 diabetes (Research)

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a growing problem worldwide, with approximately 10.5% of the adult population suffering from this disease. Current diabetes treatment is mainly focussed on improving the cardiometabolic health. However, what is often overlooked, is the fact that about half of T2DM patients suffer from cognitive impairment, and many have an increased risk (RR = 1.56) for Alzheimer's disease. Although exercise training (ET) is an inherent part of guideline-directed diabetes treatment (class 1a), and although it is known that ET beneficially affects the brain, very little research focusses on the effect of ET on the brain in T2DM. Especially the effect of ET of different intensities is underinvestigated. Exercise of high intensity causes stronger increases in circulatory neurotrophic factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and would thus presumably cause greater improvements in cognition. Although there are some studies that investigate the effect of exercise training on brain volume and cognition in T2DM (with promising results), there is a complete lack of studies investigating the effect of ET on the neurometabolic profile in this patient group. Neurometabolites can provide important insights into pathological processes in the brain, and have shown to be aberrant in T2DM. That is why this project focusses on the effect of ET of high vs. moderate intensity on the brain, and in particular neurometabolites, in T2DM.

01 November 2024 - 31 October 2028