Some of the experimental and clinical aspects of the effects of the maternal diabetes on developing hippocampus

Diabetes mellitus during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of multiple congenital anomalies in progeny. There are sufficient evidence suggesting that the children of diabetic women exhibit intellectual and behavioral abnormalities accompanied by modification of hippocampus structure and function. Although, the exact mechanism by which maternal diabetes affects the developing hippocampus remains to be defined. Multiple biological alterations, including hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and iron deficiency occur in pregnancies with diabetes and affect the development of central nervous system (CNS) of the fetus. The conclusion from several studies is that disturbance in glucose and insulin homeostasis in mothers and infants are major teratogenic factor in the development of CNS. Insulin and Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are two key regulators of CNS function and development. Insulin and IGF-1 receptors (IR and IGF1R, respectively) are distributed in a highly specific pattern with the high density in some brain regions such as hippocampus. Recent researches have clearly established that maternal diabetes disrupts the regulation of both IR and IGF1R in the hippocampus of rat newborn. Dissecting out the mechanisms responsible for maternal diabetes-related changes in the development of hippocampus is helping to prevent from impaired cognitive and memory functions in offspring.