NCT01479075

The Effect of Central Insulin on Insulin Sensitivity and Energy Metabolism

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (actual)
• Sponsor: German Diabetes Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 30 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Insulin has a direct effect on the energy metabolism of the brain under basal conditions and has an effect on the hepatic glucose production, lipid metabolism and the secretion of various hormone. The effect of intranasal insulin on peripheral metabolism in humans supposedly is mediated by the vagus nerve. The purpose of this study is to determine whether central insulin influences the human peripheral insulin sensitivity of liver and muscle and whether vagus nerve stimulation can mimick this effect.

Detailed description

Insulin has a direct effect on the energy metabolism of the brain under basal conditions and has an effect on the hepatic glucose production, lipid metabolism in the mouse model. The purpose of this study is to determine whether central insulin influences the human peripheral insulin sensitivity of liver and muscle and energy metabolism. Intranasal insulin can be used in humans to deliver insulin to the brain and studies have shown that intranasal insulin might reduce food intake, lower body weight and modulate muscle glucose and adipose tissue lipid metabolism in himans. These effects are likely mediated by the vagus nerve as skeletal muscle insulin sensitization after intranasal insulin relates to parasympathetic tone activity (Heni et al. Diabetes 2014). Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) activates non-invasively the sensory branches of the vagus nerve and is applied in humans as adjuvant treatment in drug-resistant epilepsy (Frangos et al. 2015). Thereby it can be used to examine whether the vagus nerve indeed mediates brain insulin signals to the periphery. Here we aim to investigate the effects of intranasal insulin on hepatic glucose, lipid and energy metabolism. We further aim to test whether taVNS can mimick intranasal insulin effects on peripheral metabolism in humans.

Conditions

• Diabetes

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	intransal insulin	4x 40mU intranasal insulin
DRUG	Placebo
DEVICE	taVNS
DEVICE	sham stimulation

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-08-01
• Primary completion: 2014-01-01
• Completion: 2014-06-01
• First posted: 2011-11-24
• Last updated: 2023-06-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany