The relationship between brain glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in subjects with normal cognition – a study based on 18F-FDG PET

Objective Insulin resistance can increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia. Our purpose is to use 18 F-FDG PET imaging to explore the effect of insulin resistance on brain glucose metabolism in cognitively normal subjects. Methods A total of 189 cognitively normal subjects who underwent PET examinations were enrolled. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used to evaluate the presence of insulin resistance. Multivariate linear regression and generalized additive models were used to analyze the association between HOMA-IR and glucose metabolism in the whole brain and evaluate the effects of various covariates. The SPM12 software was used to evaluate the regional effect of insulin resistance on brain glucose metabolism. Results After being fully adjusted for confounding factors, HOMA-IR showed an approximately linear negative correlation with brain glucose metabolism (β = −0.219, T = −3.331, P = 0.021). Compared with normal subjects, insulin-resistant subjects had reduced glucose metabolism in bilateral middle temporal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right cuneiform lobe and bilateral cerebellar regions. In cognitively normal subjects, systemic insulin resistance has a significant effect on brain glucose metabolism. Conclusions 18 F-FDG brain PET imaging could be helpful for the early diagnosis and treatment of changes in brain glucose metabolism caused by insulin resistance.