Associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and infant striatal mean diffusivity

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Public Health

Background:

• Parental obesity is a significant risk factor for childhood obesity.
• Maternal weight status during pregnancy may influence offspring brain development and future obesity risk.
• Prenatal exposure to maternal adiposity can impact fetal growth and neurodevelopment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of maternal pre-pregnancy weight status on the developing offspring's brain.
• To examine the relationship between maternal body mass index (BMI) and striatal microstructure in neonates.
• To explore potential in utero mechanisms linking maternal obesity to offspring obesity risk.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to assess the microstructure of striatal brain regions in neonates.
• Linear regression analysis examined associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and infant striatal mean diffusivity (MD).
• Study included 116 neonates (66 males, 50 females) with detailed gestational age and scan data.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the infant's left caudate nucleus.
• This association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounding covariates.
• Findings suggest a potential impact of maternal adiposity on the developing fetal brain's white matter microstructure.

Conclusions:

• In utero exposure to maternal adiposity may impair the microstructure of the infant's left caudate nucleus, indicated by altered mean diffusivity.
• The caudate nucleus plays a crucial role in regulating eating behavior and reward processing.
• Further research is warranted to understand the long-term implications of these early-life brain alterations on offspring weight trajectories and obesity risk.