Circulating progenitor cells are positively associated with cognitive function among overweight/obese children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Immunology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Overweight/obesity in children is linked to cognitive and immune dysfunction.
• Mechanisms connecting obesity, immune dysregulation, and cognition remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between obesity-induced immune dysregulation and cognition in preadolescent children.
• To identify novel mechanisms involving immune cells and progenitor cells in this association.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 27 male children (8-10 years), divided into healthy weight (HW) and overweight/obese (OW) groups based on BMI.
• Assessed adiposity (DXA), executive function (Woodcock-Johnson III), and quantified monocyte populations and circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) via flow cytometry.
• Cultured CPCs to examine paracrine effects on neurogenesis using conditioned media (CM) on neuroblastoma cells.

Main Results:

• OW children had significantly higher quantities of monocytes and CPCs compared to HW children.
• CPC content correlated positively with adiposity and executive function in OW children, and negatively in HW children.
• CPC-conditioned media from OW children showed a trend towards increased neuroblast viability in vitro.

Conclusions:

• Increased CPC content in overweight/obese children may be a compensatory mechanism.
• Paracrine signaling from CPCs might play a role in preserving cognitive function despite obesity.
• Novel insights into the interplay between obesity, immune cells, and neurodevelopment in children.