Maternal and Childhood Weight and Brain Structure in Children: Separate and Combined Associations in a...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Previous research indicates associations between excess weight and child brain development.
• The combined impact of maternal pregravid and childhood excess weight on child brain outcomes is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations of maternal pregravid body mass index (BMI) and child BMI with brain structure in 6-year-old children.
• To examine the combined effects of maternal and child excess weight on neuroimaging outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Ninety-nine mother-child pairs were categorized into four groups based on maternal pregravid BMI (≥25 kg/m²) and child BMI (≥85th percentile).
• T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess cortical thickness, sulcal depth, gyrification, and subcortical volumes in children.
• Statistical analyses included ANCOVA with adjustments for covariates and Bonferroni-corrected post hoc tests.

Main Results:

• High maternal BMI correlated with a thicker right superior temporal gyrus.
• High child BMI was associated with increased gyrification in temporo-cingulate cortices.
• Both maternal and child high BMI were linked to a thinner right cuneus and smaller right accumbens and pallidum. Children with high BMI born to mothers with high BMI exhibited deeper sulci in the left caudal middle frontal gyrus and reduced gyrification in the left entorhinal cortex.

Conclusions:

• Elevated BMI in both mothers and children, whether considered separately or jointly, is associated with gray matter differences in brain regions implicated in obesity.
• Further longitudinal research is necessary to elucidate temporal relationships, underlying mechanisms, potential biomarkers, and functional consequences of these findings.