TimesofIndia.com reported on new research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center is linking hiccups in insulin function in diabetic and obese subjects to psychiatric disorders—specifically schizophrenia. Patients with diabetes have long time reported a high number of mood disorders, but researchers are now discovering the link between the two.
In a diabetic, not enough insulin—a hormone in the body responsible for glucose metabolism—is produced by the pancreas, or the cells are resistant to the insulin that is shuttling the glucose around in order to produce energy. Insulin is also responsible for the body’s supply of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. The molecular pathway that exists between insulin signaling in the brain and dopamine dysfunction—linked to mood and mental disorders such as depression and Parkinson’s disease—is the culprit for the positive association between diabetes and behavioral abnormalities. And when that pathway is compromised, it causes a “communication breakdown”, possibly tethering psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenic behavior, and diabetes.
