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Maternal adiposity negatively influences infant brain white matter development
Xiawei Ou1, Keshari M Thakali, Kartik Shankar
1Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|April 29, 2015
Summary
Maternal obesity negatively impacts newborn brain development, specifically white matter integrity. Higher maternal fat mass is linked to reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in infants, indicating poorer white matter development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Public Health
Background:
- Maternal body composition, particularly obesity, is a growing public health concern.
- The impact of maternal adiposity on fetal central nervous system (CNS) development requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal body composition and CNS development in newborns.
- To evaluate the effects of maternal obesity on infant white matter integrity.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was employed to assess white matter development in 2-week-old infants.
- Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analyzed fractional anisotropy (FA) to measure white matter integrity.
- DNA methylation analysis of umbilical cord tissue examined genes crucial for CNS development.
Main Results:
- Infants born to obese mothers exhibited significantly lower FA values in multiple white matter regions compared to infants of normal-weight mothers.
- FA values demonstrated a negative correlation with maternal fat mass percentage.
- Maternal adiposity was significantly associated with the methylation status of genes involved in CNS development.
Conclusions:
- Maternal adiposity is negatively associated with white matter development in offspring.
- These findings highlight a potential mechanism linking maternal obesity to altered infant brain development.
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