Exercise and Intranasal Insulin in Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose

About 6.5 million adults in the United States who are 65 or older have dementia. While the exact cause of dementia is not known, it may be due to changes in the brain. Further, risk may be higher when the brain does not respond to insulin. Indeed, brain insulin resistance has emerged as a pathologic factor affecting memory, executive function as well as systemic glucose control. Regular aerobic exercise may help reduce the risk of dementia by increased blood flow to the brain and help the brain respond better to insulin. In addition, giving insulin through a nose spray (called intranasal insulin) may also help with thinking and memory. However, it is unknown if using both exercise and intranasal insulin is best for the brain.

Conditions

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Insulin Sensitivity/Resistance
  • Cognition
  • Brain Blood Flow

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 55 Years and 80 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Male or female 55-80 years old - Type 2 diabetes diagnosis or confirmation HbA1c >6.5% and fasting glucose >126 mg/dl - Individuals prescribed metformin, GLP-1 agonists (oral/injectable), TZDs, DPP-IV inhibitors, Acarbose, SGLT-2 inhibitors >6 months. - MOCA ≥26 - Body mass index (BMI) ≥25 and ≤40 kg/m2 - Not diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes - Not currently engaged in <90 min/wk of exercise

Exclusion Criteria

  • A diagnosis of dementia - Neurologic disease (e.g. Parkinson's, autonomic neuropathy, etc.) - Intolerance to insulin - Morbidly obese patients (BMI >40 kg/m2) and lean patients (BMI <25 kg/m2) - >2 kg weight change in past 6 months - Participants who have been recently active (>90 min of moderate/high intensity exercise) - Individuals who are smokers or who have quit smoking (<2 years) - Hypertriglyceridemia (400 mg/dl) and hypercholesterolemic (>260 mg/dl) subjects - Uncontrolled Hypertensive (>160/100 mmHg) - Participants with a history of significant metabolic, cardiac, cerebrovascular, hematological, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, liver, renal, or endocrine disease or cancer that in the investigator's opinion would interfere with or alter the outcome measures, or impact subject safety - Pregnant (as evidenced by positive pregnancy test) or nursing women - Participants with contraindications to participation in an exercise training program - Major psychiatric disorders (e.g. psychosis, bipolar disorder, major depression, alcohol/substance abuse) - History of head trauma or loss of consciousness in last 5 years. - Known contraindications for MR imaging: - History of head trauma or neurosurgery, or neurological disorder (other than headaches or peripheral nerve disease) as these may impact neuroimaging results. - Ferrous material implanted in or on the body, including flakes or filings, surgical clips, bullets, or electrical devices such as a pacemaker, or nonremovable ferrous jewelry (fillings in teeth and permanent retainers are permitted). - Fillings and permanent retainers do not provide a safety risk and are not general exclusions. However, upper retainers may cause artifacts in ventral frontal regions and therefore may be an exclusion for some studies. - Individuals with surgical pins or plates above the neck are excluded. Surgical pins or plates below the neck are exclusions, except when the material is fixed to bone, and considered acceptable by the Reference Manual for Magnetic Resonance Safety. Implants and Devices, 2020 Edition. Almost all recent orthopedic implants are made of materials that are not ferromagnetic and therefore are safe for scanning, and even though some screws are still made of ferromagnetic materials these are firmly screwed into bone. In cases where the material is unknown or deemed unsafe for scanning by the Reference Manual for Magnetic Resonance Safety. Implants and Devices the participant will be excluded. - History of eye injury involving metallic materials, shavings in eyes, or welding without a face mask - Lead/iron tattoos - Claustrophobia (history of significant anxiety in closed places). - Back problem that would prevent the subject from laying still comfortably for up to 90 minutes. - Deafness

Study Design

Phase
Phase 2/Phase 3
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Participants will be randomly assigned to receive high intensity exercise training with intranasal insulin or high intensity exercise training with intranasal placebo.
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Placebo Comparator
HiEx with Intranasal Placebo
  • Drug: Intranasal Placebo
    Saline will be administered twice daily (20 seconds in each nostril) using the Kurve Technology intranasal insulin device.
  • Behavioral: High Intensity Exercise
    High intensity exercise will consist of 16 weeks of walking at ~85% of each participant's predetermined VO2max and monitored via heart rate. Supervised exercised will occur on a treadmill 3d/wk. The duration of each exercise session will be adjusted based on fitness level so that ~300 kcal will be expended per training session during weeks 1-2, 350 kcal per training session during weeks 3-4, and 400 kcal per training session during weeks 5-16. This usually equals ~60 minutes per session but can vary from person to person. Each session will start with a 5-minute warm-up and end with a 5-minute cool down. During each exercise session, individuals will wear a heart rate monitor rating of perceived exertion will be recorded.
Active Comparator
HiEx with Intranasal Insulin
  • Drug: Intranasal Insulin
    Dosage will be 20 IU of INI twice per day (40 IU in total/day). The study will use the Kurve Technology intranasal device, which delivers a 20 second stream of insulin through a nose piece into a nostril, after which the device switches off. The process will then be repeated in the other nostril.
  • Behavioral: High Intensity Exercise
    High intensity exercise will consist of 16 weeks of walking at ~85% of each participant's predetermined VO2max and monitored via heart rate. Supervised exercised will occur on a treadmill 3d/wk. The duration of each exercise session will be adjusted based on fitness level so that ~300 kcal will be expended per training session during weeks 1-2, 350 kcal per training session during weeks 3-4, and 400 kcal per training session during weeks 5-16. This usually equals ~60 minutes per session but can vary from person to person. Each session will start with a 5-minute warm-up and end with a 5-minute cool down. During each exercise session, individuals will wear a heart rate monitor rating of perceived exertion will be recorded.

Recruiting Locations

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Clinical Research Center
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08091
Contact:
Fei Chen
732-235-5966
chenf2@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
Contact:
Sue Shapses, PhD
shapses@rutgers.edu

Rutgers University Loree Gymnasium
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
Contact:
Steven Malin, PhD
848-932-7540
steven.malin@rutgers.edu

Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854
Contact:
David Zald, PhD
732-235-7211
dz268@rbhs.rutgers.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Study Contact

Steven K Malin, PhD
848-932-7540
steven.malin@rutgers.edu

Detailed Description

This goal of this study is to find out if exercise plus an insulin nose spray works better than exercise alone for brain blood flow in older adults with Type 2 Diabetes. This study will also look at how the brain uses insulin and thinking skills. Individuals will be randomized to one of two groups. One group will exercise and use an insulin nose spray. The other group will exercise and use a saline (placebo) nose spray. Exercise training will be supervised and consist of walking or light jogging 3 times per week for 16 weeks. Brain imaging, cognition, and blood tests will be conducted before and after the intervention. Other measures include fitness tests and body composition scans.