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Early life factors and hippocampal functional connectivity in children with overweight/obesity

Patricio Solis-Urra1,2,3, Irene Esteban-Cornejo1,4, Jose Mora-Gonzalez1

  • 1PROFITH "PROmoting FITness and Health Through Physical Activity" Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Department of Physical and Sports Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.

Pediatric Obesity
|December 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Early life factors like birth weight and breastfeeding impact brain connectivity in children with overweight/obesity. These connections did not correlate with academic performance in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Childhood overweight/obesity presents significant health challenges.
  • Early life factors, including neonatal anthropometrics and infant feeding, may influence neurodevelopment.
  • Hippocampal function is crucial for learning and memory, and its connectivity can be affected by various factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between neonatal anthropometric data (birth weight) and breastfeeding practices with hippocampal functional connectivity.
  • To explore the academic implications of these associations in children with overweight/obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 96 children (aged 8-11 years) with overweight/obesity.
  • Acquisition of T1-weighted and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
  • Assessment of academic performance using the Woodcock-Muñoz standardized test and analysis of hippocampal connectivity.

Main Results:

  • Birth weight positively correlated with hippocampal connectivity to the precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and cerebellum.
  • Breastfeeding showed a negative association with hippocampal connectivity to the primary motor cortex and angular gyrus.
  • Any breastfeeding was positively associated with hippocampal connectivity to the middle temporal gyrus; no links to academic performance were found.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal birth weight and breastfeeding practices are associated with hippocampal functional connectivity in children with overweight/obesity.
  • The relationship between these early life factors, hippocampal connectivity, and academic performance requires further investigation.
  • Clinicians should consider the importance of early life factors in offspring's brain development and potential long-term consequences.
Abstract

Keywords:
birth weightbrainbreastfeedingcognitionhippocampusobesity

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