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Early life factors and structural brain network in children with overweight/obesity: The ActiveBrains project
Patricio Solis-Urra1,2,3, Maria Rodriguez-Ayllon4, Juan Verdejo-Román5,6
1Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain. patriciosolis@ugr.es.
Insights
Birth weight and length are linked to brain structure in children with overweight/obesity, but not breastfeeding. These early life factors did not impact academic performance in the study group.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Investigating early life factors' impact on brain development is crucial for understanding child health.
- Overweight/obesity (OW/OB) in children may influence neurodevelopmental trajectories.
- Understanding the link between early life factors, brain structure, and academic performance in children with OW/OB is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between early life factors (birth weight, birth length, breastfeeding) and structural brain networks in children with OW/OB.
- To determine if structural brain networks, influenced by early life factors, correlate with academic performance in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Utilized T1-weighted MRI images from 96 children (aged 8-11) with OW/OB from the ActiveBrains project.
- Employed non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) to identify structural brain networks.
- Collected early life data (birth weight, length, breastfeeding duration) via birth records and parental reports; assessed academic performance using the Woodcock-Muñoz standardized test battery.
Main Results:
- Birth weight and birth length were significantly associated with seven structural brain networks, including those in the cerebellum, cingulate gyrus, occipital pole, and key subcortical regions (hippocampus, caudate nucleus, putamen, pallidum, nucleus accumbens, amygdala).
- No significant associations were found between breastfeeding practices and structural brain networks.
- None of the identified brain networks linked to birth weight or length showed a correlation with academic performance in the studied children.
Conclusions:
- Birth weight and birth length are associated with specific structural brain networks in children with OW/OB, suggesting a role in normal brain development.
- Breastfeeding practices were not found to be associated with these brain networks in this population.
- While early life factors influence brain structure, this study did not find a direct link to academic performance, warranting further investigation into other potential behavioral outcomes.
Background:
The aims of this study were to investigate the association of early life factors, including birth weight, birth length, and breastfeeding practices, with structural brain networks; and to test whether structural brain networks associated with early life factors were also associated with academic performance in children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB).
Method:
96 children with OW/OB aged 8-11 years (10.03 ± 1.16) from the ActiveBrains project were included. Early life factors were collected from birth records and reported by parents as weight, height, and months of breastfeeding. T1-weighted images were used to identify structural networks using a non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) approach. Academic performance was evaluated by the Woodcock-Muñoz standardized test battery.
Results:
Birth weight and birth length were associated with seven networks involving the cerebellum, cingulate gyrus, occipital pole, and subcortical structures including hippocampus, caudate nucleus, putamen, pallidum, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala. No associations were found for breastfeeding practices. None of the networks linked to birth weight and birth length were linked to academic performance.
Conclusions:
Birth weight and birth length, but not breastfeeding, were associated with brain structural networks in children with OW/OB. Thus, early life factors are related to brain networks, yet a link with academic performance was not observed.
Impact:
Birth weight and birth length, but not breastfeeding, were associated with several structural brain networks involving the cerebellum, cingulate gyrus, occipital pole, and subcortical structures including hippocampus, caudate, putamen, pallidum, accumbens and amygdala in children with overweight/obesity, playing a role for a normal brain development. Despite no academic consequences, other behavioral consequences should be investigated. Interventions aimed at improving optimal intrauterine growth and development may be of importance to achieve a healthy brain later in life.
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