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Central Nervous System and Peripheral Hormone Responses to a Meal in Children
Christian L Roth1,2, Susan J Melhorn3, Clinton T Elfers1
1Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.
Insights
Children with obesity show a weaker brain response to meals compared to healthy-weight children, despite normal gut hormone signals. This attenuated central response may contribute to overeating and weight management challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Metabolic Research
Background:
- Behavioral studies indicate altered responses to food consumption in children with obesity (OB).
- Understanding the central nervous system and hormonal regulation of appetite in pediatric obesity is crucial for developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the central nervous system and peripheral hormone responses to a meal in children with obesity (OB) compared to children of healthy weight (HW).
- To assess neural activation patterns using functional MRI and measure satiety-regulating hormone levels before and after a meal.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study comparing 54 children with OB and 22 children of HW (ages 9-11), matched for age and sex.
- Functional MRI was used to evaluate neural activation in appetite-processing regions in response to high- and low-calorie food cues and objects.
- Pre- and post-meal levels of insulin, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1, and active ghrelin were measured.
Main Results:
- Children of HW showed reduced brain activation to high-calorie food cues after a meal, while children with OB did not, despite similar gut hormone responses.
- Children with OB exhibited lower premeal and higher postmeal brain activation to high-calorie food cues compared to HW children.
- An attenuated central response to meals was associated with a greater degree of insulin resistance in children.
Conclusions:
- Children with OB demonstrate an attenuated central response to meals, distinct from their gut hormone responses.
- This diminished neural response to food may predispose children with obesity to overconsumption and hinder weight loss efforts.
- Further research is needed to explore the long-term implications of these findings for pediatric obesity management.
Context:
Behavioral studies suggest that responses to food consumption are altered in children with obesity (OB).
Objective:
To test central nervous system and peripheral hormone response by functional MRI and satiety-regulating hormone levels before and after a meal.
Design And Setting:
Cross-sectional study comparing children with OB and children of healthy weight (HW) recruited from across the Puget Sound region of Washington.
Participants:
Children (9 to 11 years old; OB, n = 54; HW, n = 22), matched for age and sex.
Intervention And Outcome Measures:
Neural activation to images of high- and low-calorie food and objects was evaluated across a set of a priori appetite-processing regions that included the ventral and dorsal striatum, amygdala, substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area, insula, and medial orbitofrontal cortex. Premeal and postmeal hormones (insulin, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1, active ghrelin) were measured.
Results:
In response to a meal, average brain activation by high-calorie food cues vs objects in a priori regions was reduced after meals in children of HW (Z = -3.5, P < 0.0001), but not in children with OB (z = 0.28, P = 0.78) despite appropriate meal responses by gut hormones. Although premeal average brain activation by high-calorie food cues was lower in children with OB vs children of HW, postmeal activation was higher in children with OB (Z = -2.1, P = 0.04 and Z = 2.3, P = 0.02, respectively). An attenuated central response to a meal was associated with greater degree of insulin resistance.
Conclusions:
Our data suggest that children with OB exhibit an attenuated central, as opposed to gut hormone, response to a meal, which may predispose them to overconsumption of food or difficulty with weight loss.
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