A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that targeting specific brain neurons may be a new approach to treating type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that hyperactive neurons in the hypothalamus, called AgRP neurons, play a significant role in elevated blood sugar levels in diabetic mice.
Conventional wisdom has long held that type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors, such as obesity and poor diet. However, this new study challenges that notion and suggests that the brain may be more involved in the development of type 2 diabetes than previously thought.
The researchers used a viral genetics approach to make AgRP neurons express tetanus toxin, which prevented them from communicating with other neurons. Surprisingly, this intervention normalized high blood sugar levels for months, despite having no effect on body weight or food consumption.
This study has significant implications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and could potentially lead to a new therapeutic approach. However, more research is needed to understand how to regulate activity in these neurons and how they become hyperactive in the first place.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-brain-diabetes.html