Teen brain differences linked to increased waist circumference

Date:
October 13, 2020
Source:
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse
Summary:
Differences in the microstructure of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc),
a region in the brain that plays an important role in processing
food and other reward stimuli, predict increases in indicators of
obesity in children, according to a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Differences in the microstructure of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc),
a region in the brain that plays an important role in processing food
and other reward stimuli, predict increases in indicators of obesity
in children, according to a study funded by the National Institute
on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and nine other institutes, all part of the
National Institutes of Health. The paper, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. The ABCD Study will
follow nearly 12,000 children through early adulthood to assess factors
that influence individual brain development and other health outcomes.


========================================================================== Findings from this study provide the first evidence of microstructural
brain differences that are linked to waist circumference and body mass
index (BMI) in children. These microstructural differences in cell
density could be indicative of inflammatory processes triggered by a
diet rich in high fat foods.

"We know that childhood obesity is a key predictor of adult obesity
and other poor health outcomes later in life," said Nora D. Volkow,
M.D., director of NIDA. "These results extend previous animal studies
to reveal what may prove to be a vicious cycle in which diet-related inflammation in brain striatal regions promotes further unhealthy
eating behaviors and weight gain." Evidence from past human imaging
studies has demonstrated the relationship between the NAcc and unhealthy
eating behavior in adults. In this study, the researchers leveraged
new diffusion MRI imaging techniques to examine the cellular structure
of areas that comprise the striatal reward pathway in the brain to
investigate disproportionate weight gain in youth.

This study included data from 5,366 ABCD Study participants, ages 9-
to 10- years-old at baseline, of whom 2,133 returned for a one-year
follow-up visit.

The mean waist circumference of the participants, used here as a measure
of body fat, increased an average of 2.76 centimeters per participant
from the baseline through the one-year follow-up. The researchers used
a noninvasive MRI technique to show that an alleged marker of cellular
density in the NAcc reflected differences in waist circumference
at baseline and predicted increased waist circumference at one-year
follow-up.

Because the ABCD Study is longitudinal, it will allow to assess if this association holds or changes over the course of adolescent development,
and what factors may influence this trajectory.

Obesity in the United States affects approximately 35% of children
and adolescents and is associated with negative health consequences,
mentally and physically, as well as higher mortality rates. Children
who are obese have more than a fivefold likelihood of becoming obese as
adults. Predictive models of weight gain in youth, coupled with knowledge
about factors that could impact this trajectory, would benefit public
health and individual wellbeing.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
NIH/National_Institute_on_Drug_Abuse. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kristina M. Rapuano, Jennifer S. Laurent, Donald J. Hagler, Sean N.

Hatton, Wesley K. Thompson, Terry L. Jernigan, Anders M. Dale, B. J.

Casey, Richard Watts. Nucleus accumbens cytoarchitecture predicts
weight gain in children. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 2020; 202007918 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2007918117 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201013150815.htm

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