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Systematic differences between lean and obese adolescents in brain spin-lattice relaxation time: a quantitative
F Cazettes1, W H Tsui, G Johnson
1Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology
|October 1, 2011
Summary
Obese adolescents show altered brain maturation markers (T1) in frontal and parietal regions compared to lean peers. These findings suggest obesity impacts adolescent brain development, with potential long-term implications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Adolescent Medicine
- Radiology
Background:
- Obesity in adolescents is linked to body development changes.
- Emerging evidence suggests structural brain differences in obese versus lean adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if T1 relaxation time, a marker of brain maturation, reveals brain differences associated with adolescent obesity.
- To test the hypothesis that T1 can differentiate brain structure in obese adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1.5T was used to measure brain T1 relaxation times.
- 48 obese and 31 lean adolescents, matched for sex, income, and school grade, were recruited.
- MPRAGE and inversion-recovery sequences were combined to create high-resolution T1 maps.
Main Results:
- Obese adolescents exhibited smaller intracranial vault-adjusted brain parenchymal volumes.
- Significant differences in T1 relaxation times were observed in four clusters of voxels (P < .005).
- Longer T1 relaxation times were found in orbitofrontal and parietal regions in obese adolescents.
Conclusions:
- Obesity appears to significantly impact brain development in adolescents, particularly in the frontal and parietal lobes.
- Further research is needed to determine if these observed brain changes are persistent into adulthood or indicate altered developmental trajectories.
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