Multimodal brain predictors of current weight and weight gain in children enrolled in the ABCD study ®

Abstract

Highlights BMI was associated with widespread structural differences in cortical thickness, surface area, subcortical gray matter volumes and in white matter estimates of fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity. BMI was also associated with altered resting-state functional connectivity and working memory during an EN-back task but, contrary to some extant findings, was not related to reward or inhibitory control (as assessed by the Monetary Incentive Delay task and Stop Signal Task). Excessive weight gain (i.e., more than 20 pounds in a year) was associated at baseline with thicker cortices, and differences in surface area and white matter in regions associated with attention and appetite control (e.g., insula, parahippocampal gyrus), but no functional associations were observed. All analyses quantified generalizability to an unseen test set. These findings suggest that brain structure, resting state and working memory are associated with current weight and that brain structure may have potential as an MRI biomarker to identify children at risk for pathological weight gain.

Relating neighborhood deprivation to childhood obesity in the ABCD Study®: evidence for theories of neuroinflammation and neuronal stress

“…In response to unhealthy obesogenic behaviors, neuroinflammation may occur (Mullins et al, 2020), which has been associated with downstream effects on cognitive functioning in animals (Castanon et al, 2015) and adults (Moreno-Navarrete et al, 2017). Although it has not been established that neuroinflammation is directly related to decreased cognitive performance in children, research does show a link between obesity and altered brain structure (Adise, Allgaier, et al, 2021), function (Black et al, 2014; Bruce et al, 2010), cognition and behavior (Adise, White, et al, 2021; Laurent et al, 2020; Nederkoorn et al, 2006; Verbeken et al, 2009). Moreover, area deprivation may moderate the strength of the relationship between childhood obesity and cortical thickness in regions associated with inhibitory control and executive function (Hall et al, 2021).…”

Longitudinal Evidence of a Vicious Cycle Between Nucleus Accumbens Microstructure and Childhood Weight Gain

“…For example, NAcc volume is positively associated with genetic risk for obesity in children [7], as well as with body mass index (BMI) and percent body fatda relationship that may be age-dependent and specific to youth [8,9]. Moreover, NAcc blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses to reward cues have demonstrated associations with obesity-related behaviors and outcomes (i.e., eating behavior, weight gain) in adolescents and adults [10e13], although findings are mixed and may be dependent on additional factors [14], such as the type of reward cue (e.g., monetary reward; food reward) [15,16], stimulus type (e.g., visual gustatory) [17], and metabolic factors (e.g., insulin sensitivity) [18]. Despite a clear role of the NAcc in reward motivation more generally, the associations between this region and obesity-related behaviors and outcomes appear to be complex and dependent on a variety of factors.…”

Triangulating Causality Between Childhood Obesity and Neurobehavior: Twin and Longitudinal Evidence

“…In participants with higher obesity, cortical surface area was observed to be increased in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus 10 while others found cortical volume to be altered in frontal and temporal brain regions [16][17][18] . Some of these associations have already been replicated within the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study dataset [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] due to its open accessibility. However, it is unclear if obesity may have causal associations with these neurobehavioral domains and aspects of brain morphology and, if so, what the direction of these associations may be.…”

“…In participants with higher obesity, cortical surface area was observed to be increased in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus (10) while others found cortical volume to be altered in frontal and temporal brain regions (16)(17)(18). Some of these associations have already been replicated within the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study dataset (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25) due to its open accessibility.…”