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Published on: June 9, 2018
Association between regional brain volumes and BMI z-score change over one year in children
Travis D Masterson1, Carly Bobak2, Kristina M Rapuano3
1Department of Epidemiology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America.
Insights
Brain region volumes in children are linked to weight status. Specifically, smaller entorhinal cortex volume at baseline predicted higher BMI z-scores a year later, suggesting a role in weight management.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Health
- Body Composition
Background:
- Cross-sectional studies show links between brain region volumes and weight status in children.
- Longitudinal evidence is needed to determine if brain structure precedes weight changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if brain region volumes predict future weight gain in children.
- To examine associations between brain volumes and Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores longitudinally.
Main Methods:
- Structural brain images and anthropometric data were collected from 53 children (aged 9-12) over one year.
- FreeSurfer software was used to measure volumes of the entorhinal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus.
- Linear regression and structural equation modeling analyzed the relationship between brain volumes and BMI z-scores, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Cross-sectionally, greater right hippocampal volume correlated with higher BMI z-scores at follow-up.
- Longitudinally, smaller right entorhinal cortex volume at baseline predicted increased BMI z-scores one year later.
Conclusions:
- Brain region volumes, particularly the entorhinal cortex, are associated with concurrent and future BMI z-scores in children.
- The entorhinal cortex's role in integrating reward and control signals may be crucial for weight management during childhood development.
Purpose:
Associations between brain region volume and weight status have been observed in children cross-sectionally. However, it is unclear if differences in brain region volume precede weight gain.
Methods:
Two high-quality structural brain images were obtained approximately one year apart in 53 children aged 9-12 years old. Children's height and weight were also measured at each scan. Structural images were processed using the FreeSurfer software-package providing volume measures for regions of interest including the entorhinal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus. Age- and sex-adjusted BMI z-scores (BMIz) were calculated at both timepoints. The association between brain region volume and BMIz was examined cross-sectionally using linear regression and longitudinally using structural equation modeling. All models were adjusted by estimated cranial volume to account for individual variation in head size and were corrected for multiple comparisons (pFDR<0.05).
Results:
The sample of children was primarily healthy weight at baseline (79.78%). Cross-sectionally at the one-year follow-up, a positive relationship was observed between right hippocampal volume and BMIz (β = 0.43, 95% CI = (0.10, 0.77)). Longitudinally a negative relationship was observed between right entorhinal volume at baseline and BMIz at the one-year follow-up (β = -0.25, 95% CI = (-0.44, -0.07)).
Conclusion:
These results suggest that measured volumes from certain regions of the brain that have been associated with BMI in adults are associated with both concurrent BMIz and BMIz change over one-year in a primarily healthy weight sample of children. As the entorhinal cortex integrates signals from both reward and control regions, this region may be particularly important to weight management during child development.
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