Cortical Plasticity and Interneuron Recruitment in Adolescents Born to Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Jago M Van Dam; Mitchell R Goldsworthy; William M Hague; Suzette Coat; Julia B Pitcher

doi:10.3390/brainsci11030388

Cortical Plasticity and Interneuron Recruitment in Adolescents Born to Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Brain Sci. 2021 Mar 19;11(3):388. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11030388.

Authors

Jago M Van Dam¹, Mitchell R Goldsworthy^{1

2}, William M Hague^{1

3}, Suzette Coat¹, Julia B Pitcher^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
² Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
³ Obstetric Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital Network, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006, Australia.
⁴ Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.

Abstract

Exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in utero is associated with a range of adverse cognitive and neurological outcomes. Previously, we reported altered neuroplastic responses to continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) in GDM-exposed adolescents. Recent research suggests that the relative excitability of complex oligosynaptic circuits (late I-wave circuits) can predict these responses. We aimed to determine if altered I-wave recruitment was associated with neuroplastic responses in adolescents born to women with GDM. A total of 20 GDM-exposed adolescents and 10 controls (aged 13.1 ± 1.0 years) participated. cTBS was used to induce neuroplasticity. I-wave recruitment was assessed by comparing motor-evoked potential latencies using different TMS coil directions. Recruitment of late I-waves was associated with stronger LTD-like neuroplastic responses to cTBS (p = < 0.001, R² = 0.36). There were no differences between groups in mean neuroplasticity (p = 0.37), I-wave recruitment (p = 0.87), or the association between these variables (p = 0.41). The relationship between I-wave recruitment and the response to cTBS previously observed in adults is also present in adolescents and does not appear to be altered significantly by in utero GDM exposure. Exposure to GDM does not appear to significantly impair LTD-like synaptic plasticity or interneuron recruitment.

Keywords: I-waves; cortisol; gestational diabetes; neurodevelopment; neuroplasticity; transcranial magnetic stimulation.