Age of Childhood Onset in Type 1 Diabetes and Functional Brain Connectivity in Midlife: Erratum

Abstract

Objective-The development of type 1 diabetes (T1DM) within the first 7 years of life has been linked to poorer cognitive performance. Adults with T1DM have altered functional brain connectivity, but no studies have examined whether earlier age of T1DM onset is associated with functional connectivity later in life. Accordingly, we tested the relationship between age of onset and resting state functional connectivity in a cohort of middle-aged adults with childhood-onset T1DM.Methods-Subjects were from a subsample of the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications cohort and included 66 adults (mean age = 47.54 years; 32 Male). Resting state blood oxygen level dependent activity was used to calculate mean connectivity for eight functional brain networks. A multivariate analysis of variance examined associations between age of onset and network connectivity. Diffusion tensor and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images were analyzed to identify microstructural alterations and white matter hyperintensity volumes.Results-Later childhood onset of T1DM was associated with lower connectivity (F (8,57) = 2.40, p = .026). A significant interaction was present for current age such that an inverse association with age of onset for functional connectivity was present in older individuals (F (8,55) = 2.88, p = .035). Lower connectivity was associated with older age, increased white matter hyperintensity volume, and lower microstructural integrity.Conclusions-Diagnosis of T1DM later in childhood may be associated with lower brain functional connectivity, particularly in those surviving into older ages. These alterations may be an Corresponding author: John Ryan, PhD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, Phone: 412-246-5765, Fax: 412-586-9111, ryanjp@upmc.edu. Conflicts of Interest:The authors declare no conflicts of interest HHS Public Access Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript early marker for subsequent cognitive decrements. Future studies are warranted to understand the pathways underlying these associations.