How Do We Know if the Brain Is Wired for Type 2 Diabetes?

It is now widely accepted that the brain makes important contributions to the dysregulated glucose metabolism, altered feeding behaviors, and the obesity often seen in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although studies focusing on genetic, cellular, and molecular regulatory elements in pancreas, liver, adipose tissue etc provide a good understanding of how these processes relate to T2D, our knowledge of how brain wiring patterns are organized is much less developed. This article discusses animal studies that illustrate the importance of understanding the network organization of those brain regions most closely implicated in T2D. It will describe the brain networks, as well as the methodologies used to explore them. To illustrate some of the gaps in our knowledge, we will discuss the connectional network of the ventromedial nucleus and its adjacent cell groups in the hypothalamus; structures that are widely recognized as key elements in the brain’s ability to control glycemia, feeding, and body weight.