Neural Regulation of Blood Glucose in Acute Stress: A Report on Research Supported by Pathway to Stop Diabetes.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and mechanistic perspective with no primary clinical trial data
PubMed 41252653 · doi:10.2337/dbi24-0051
What was done
This is a narrative review and perspective summarizing research on the neural circuits (spanning the brain stem, hypothalamus, and forebrain) that regulate the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system to increase blood glucose during acute stress, based on research supported by the American Diabetes Association Pathway to Stop Diabetes program.
What was found
No quantitative data or effect estimates are reported in the abstract. Qualitatively, acute stress is described as impairing glycemic control in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, with stress-induced dysglycemia predicting morbidity and mortality in critical illness through conserved multi-organ neural signaling pathways.
Why it matters
Elucidating the neural populations and central circuits governing stress-induced hyperglycemia identifies potential neurobiological targets for improving glycemic control in diabetes and acute illness.
Limits
The publication is a narrative perspective rather than a systematic review or empirical study, providing no primary human trial data or quantitative outcomes in the abstract. Much of the detailed circuit mapping relies on animal models, limiting direct clinical translation.
Cited by
- supports Psychological stress increases blood glucose levels.