Carolina Moreno , an endocrinology specialist at Hospital da Luz Coimbra, completed her PhD in Health Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC) on May 8, 2025, receiving unanimous approval from the jury with praise and distinction. Her research project aimed to evaluate the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on brain morphometry, particularly identifying clinical and biochemical biomarkers of brain atrophy. Her thesis, entitled “Brain morphometric impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus: evolving from disease manifestation to a novel complication” , revealed that brain atrophy is a neuroimaging feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus, beginning in the early stage of dysglycemia, preceding cognitive decline, and associated with aging. Key findings from the research—published in several high-impact international scientific journals—include: A global susceptibility of the brain to intra-daily glucose fluctuations, preceding more focal atrophy, highlighting the neuronal impact of glycemic variability in type 2 diabetes Patterns of brain atrophy progression over time mainly affect circuits related to memory, learning, reward, and error prediction, indicating that glycemic variability may influence dopaminergic regulation in type 2 diabetes Regular physical activity, regardless of glycemic control, may help mitigate the negative effects of diabetes on the brain This work emphasizes the contribution of brain morphometric imaging in identifying individuals particularly vulnerable to neurological dysfunction, to develop a more personalized therapeutic approach. Her thesis advisors were Professor Leonor Gomes (FMUC) and Professor Miguel Castelo-Branco (CIBIT, FMUC).
