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Obesity causally influencing brain cortical structure: a Mendelian randomization study
Wenhui Chen1, Jia Feng2, Jie Guo1
1Department of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|June 17, 2023
Summary
Obesity causally impacts brain cortical structure. Higher body mass index (BMI) increased temporal lobe surface area, while waist-hip ratio (WHR) altered inferior temporal and cingulate cortex areas.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Public Health
Background:
- Obesity is linked to cognitive and psychiatric issues, potentially due to brain cortical structure changes.
- The causal relationship between obesity and brain structure alterations remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal associations between obesity metrics (BMI, WHR, WHRadjBMI) and brain cortical structure (cortical thickness, surface area).
- Utilize Mendelian randomization (MR) to establish causality.
Main Methods:
- Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.
- Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method as primary analysis.
- Sensitivity analyses to assess heterogeneity and pleiotropy.
Main Results:
- Increased body mass index (BMI) was associated with larger transverse temporal cortical surface area.
- Higher waist-hip ratio (WHR) was linked to decreased inferior temporal and increased isthmus cingulate cortical surface area.
- No significant pleiotropy was detected, supporting causal inference.
Conclusions:
- This study provides evidence for a causal effect of obesity on brain cortical structure.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the clinical implications of these structural changes.
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