Hershey to Study Diabetes, Youth Brain Development

Adults with Type 2 diabetes are known to be at risk for reduced regional brain structure and function, impaired cognition, and increased lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s disease; however, little is known about the risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes in youth. 

Tamara Hershey, PhD, the James S. McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and director of the Neuroimaging Labs Research Center, aims to bridge that gap thanks to a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The goal of her study is to detangle the relationship between Type 2 diabetes symptoms and the risks they pose for the brain development of children and adolescents.