Learning theories reveal loss of pancreatic electrical connectivity in diabetes as an adaptive response

At the moment there does not seem to be direct experimental evidence that a reduction of gap junctions occurs in human type 2 diabetes. Additionally, although it is very attractive from a theoretical viewpoint, it is not proven that gap junctions are altered in response to altered islet firing activity in diabetes. Our model is a complementary line of evidence, albeit theoretical, in these directions. Further, the model makes another related prediction, that gap junction expression and coupling strength are very likely to occur as heterogeneous across the islet, in both health as well as diabetes. If the naturally heterogeneous nature of gap junctions is acknowledged, this could be critical in designing appropriate clinical interventions, since connexins are potential targets for diabetes therapy. Indeed, we hope that our work will be helpful to researchers seeking to clarify the adaptive dynamics of gap junctions in diabetes.