Brain activation during movement tasks in people with diabetes-related peripheral nerve damage

What is it about?

People with diabetes-related peripheral nerve damage find it difficult to perform routine activities that involve balance and/or movement. We examined if these individuals also respond differently during the performance (or imagined performance) of such tasks in terms of the activation patterns in the brain. We found that individuals with diabetes-related peripheral nerve damage have lower activation in brain regions controlling movement compared to individuals without peripheral nerve damage. However, there was no difference in brain activation when the assigned task was more complex, suggesting that individuals with such damage have the capacity to increase their response.

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Why is it important?

We demonstrate, for the first time, the role of the brain in modulating the effects of diabetes-related peripheral nerve damage. This opens up the possibility of training such individuals to augment brain responses and thereby limit the consequences of the peripheral nerve damage.