Brain gray and white matter differences in healthy normal weight and obese children

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pediatric Health
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
• Obesity is associated with various health complications, but its impact on brain development in children is less understood.
• Understanding brain changes in obese children is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in brain gray and white matter development between healthy normal weight and obese children.
• To compare regional brain structure and white matter microstructure in pediatric obesity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including T1-weighted structural imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
• Analyzed data from 24 healthy children aged 8-10 years, categorized as normal weight (<75th percentile BMI) or obese (>95th percentile BMI).
• Employed voxel-based morphometry for gray and white matter analysis and tract-based spatial statistics for DTI parameters.

Main Results:

• Obese children exhibited significant reductions in gray matter in areas including the temporal gyrus, thalami, parietal gyrus, pre/postcentral gyri, and cerebellum.
• White matter showed increased volume in obese children, alongside higher fractional anisotropy (FA) values, particularly in association and projection fibers.
• FA differences were primarily attributed to decreased radial diffusivity, with no significant change in axial diffusivity.

Conclusions:

• Healthy obese children demonstrate distinct patterns of brain gray and white matter development compared to their normal weight counterparts.
• Significant differences in white matter microstructural integrity were observed in obese children.
• These findings underscore the neurodevelopmental impact of pediatric obesity.