Measurement of brain glucose metabolism in obesity and diabetes – Published online 25/07/2025

Janice J. Hwang, Jason Bini, Renata Belfort‑DeAguiar

Diabetes and obesity have profound and complex effects on brain structure, function and metabolism, significantly increasing the risk of cerebrovascular events, cognitive decline and behavioural changes. Despite these associations, it remains challenging to understand not only how these metabolic diseases affect the human brain but also how emerging therapies for diabetes and obesity may impact brain function. In this issue, Hwang et al (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-025-06491-7) discuss how neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), when combined with controlled physiological manipulations of circulating glucose and insulin levels, are powerful tools for exploring these effects in a rigorous and systematic way. The authors aim to support researchers studying the neurological impact of metabolic diseases by summarising these key neuroimaging modalities and examining current literature on how combining these techniques with glucose and insulin modulation can enhance our understanding of brain glucose metabolism. The figures from this review are available as a downloadable slideset.

All News