The Effect of Exercise on the Brain in Type 2 Diabetes

The Effect of Exercise of High vs. Moderate Intensity on the Brain in Type 2 Diabetes

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if exercise training of high or moderate intensity is most optimal to improve brain health and prevent neurodegeneration in type 2 diabetes patients. The main question it aims to answer is:

What is the effect of exercise training of high vs. moderate intensity on brain metabolism, brain perfusion, and cognition in type 2 diabetes?

Researchers will compare the exercise training groups to a control group without exercise training to determine the effect of exercise training on the brain in type 2 diabetes.

Participants will exercise for 6 months, 3 times per week. Before and after these 6 months, they will undergo:

• a brain MRI scan
• cognitive tests
• blood sampling

Inclusion Criteria:

• type 2 diabetes
• no insulin therapy
• 30-75 years old
• physically inactive

Exclusion Criteria:

• MRI contraindications
• psychological disorders
• exogenous insulin therapy
• history of coma, transient ischemic attack, head trauma, brain tumor, stroke, epilepsy, and other central nervous system diseases that could cause dementia or presence of dementia before T2DM
• suffering from any disease with significant impact on exercise intervention participation such as: chronic heart disease (e.g. valve insufficiency ≥ grade 2) or significant arrhythmias, cardiac events less than one year ago (myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention), clinical heart failure (oedema, shortness of breath), percutaneous coronary intervention less than one year ago, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cerebrovascular or peripheral vascular disease
• severe hypertension (>160/110 mmHg)
• ongoing cancer, severe neuropathy (limiting exercise participation)
• renal disease (GRF <45 ml/min/1,73 m2)
• inability to regularly participate in the exercise intervention
• pregnancy
• breastfeeding