Voxel-based morphology analysis of STZ-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus rats with and without cognitive impairment

Incidence of diabetes has increased dramatically. Consequently, diabetes-induced cognitive impairment has attracted increasing attention. This study aimed to explore the changes in brain structure in the diabetic rats with and without cognitive impairment. Morris water maze method was used for screening the diabetic rats with/without cognitive impairment. These diabetic rats and controls were imaged using magnetic resonance imaging that segmented into gray and white matter, which was further analyzed using voxel-based morphology (VBM) and regions of interest (ROI) based image retrieval. The ROI results showed that the whole brain volume decreased in diabetic rats with/without cognitive impairment as compared to the control (P < 0.05). The VBM results showed differences in the caudate putamen and prefrontal cortex in the diabetic rats with/without cognitive impairment. The change in the brain of rats with cognitive impairment occurred primarily in the area associated with cognition, such as caudate putamen and hippocampus, and the bi-directional change occurred in the different area of hippocampus. The current results provided important imaging information for early diagnosis and timely treatment of diabetic cognitive impairment.