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Peng SL, Chen CM. The influence of obesity on cerebral blood flow in young adults using arterial spin labeling MRI. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2020; 33:e4375. [PMID: 32729160 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Obesity causes damage to several organs, including the brain. Recent studies have been focusing on understanding the mechanisms through which obesity affects brain structure and function using neuroimaging techniques. A functional biomarker, such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), is a powerful tool that can be used to explore neural dysfunction. However, there is currently limited information regarding the association between CBF and obesity. The study was conducted to investigate the potential effect of obesity on brain perfusion in a young cohort aged 20-30 years. A total of 21 obese (body mass index (BMI) > 26 kg/m2 ) and 21 lean (BMI < 24 kg/m2 ) right-handed volunteers were included in this study. CBF was acquired using the 2D single post-labeling delay (PLD) arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique on a 3 T MRI scanner. A multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the difference in global and regional gray matter (GM) CBF between the groups. CBF value was assigned as the dependent variable, whereas age, sex, and group (obese or lean) were considered as the independent variables. Results showed that group-related differences in CBF were homogeneous across brain regions, as obese subjects had significantly lower global GM CBF than lean subjects (P < 0.05). In the voxelwise analysis, obese individuals had significantly lower CBF in the left pulvinar of the thalamus and visual association areas, including Brodmann area (BA) 7, BA18, and BA19, than lean subjects. Although the signal-to-noise ratio was slightly compromised for 2D sequences and subject-specific arterial transit time was not estimated due to a single PLD sequence, this study demonstrated alterations in CBF in obese subjects, particularly in regions of the pulvinar of the thalamus and its synchronously related areas such as visual association areas. These results suggest that ASL provides a potential platform for further obesity-related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Lei Peng
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Ming Chen
- Department of Radiology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
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Figley CR, Asem JSA, Levenbaum EL, Courtney SM. Effects of Body Mass Index and Body Fat Percent on Default Mode, Executive Control, and Salience Network Structure and Function. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:234. [PMID: 27378831 PMCID: PMC4906227 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that obesity decreases overall life expectancy and increases the risk of several adverse health conditions. Mounting evidence indicates that body fat is likely also associated with structural and functional brain changes, reduced cognitive function, and greater impulsivity. However, previously reported differences in brain structure and function have been variable across studies and difficult to reconcile due to sample population and methodological differences. To clarify these issues, we correlated two independent measures of body composition—i.e., body mass index (BMI) and body fat percent (BFP)—with structural and functional neuroimaging data obtained from a cohort of 32 neurologically healthy adults. Whole-brain voxel-wise analyses indicated that higher BMI and BFP were associated with widespread decreases in gray matter volume, white matter volume, and white matter microstructure (including several regions, such as the striatum and orbitofrontal cortex, which may influence value assessment, habit formation, and decision-making). Moreover, closer examination of resting state functional connectivity, white matter volume, and white matter microstructure throughout the default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), and salience network (SN) revealed that higher BMI and BFP were associated with increased SN functional connectivity and decreased white matter volumes throughout all three networks (i.e., the DMN, ECN, and SN). Taken together, these findings: (1) offer a biologically plausible explanation for reduced cognitive performance, greater impulsivity, and altered reward processing among overweight individuals, and (2) suggest neurobiological mechanisms (i.e., altered functional and structural brain connectivity) that may affect overweight individuals' ability to establish and maintain healthy lifestyle choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase R Figley
- Department of Radiology, University of ManitobaWinnipeg, MB, Canada; Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of ManitobaWinnipeg, MB, Canada; Neuroscience Research Program, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Winnipeg Health Sciences CentreWinnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA
| | - Judith S A Asem
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of CaliforniaIrvine, CA, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of CaliforniaIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Erica L Levenbaum
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA; School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical CenterRochester, NY, USA
| | - Susan M Courtney
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA; Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA; F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimore, MD, USA
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Ou X, Andres A, Pivik RT, Cleves MA, Badger TM. Brain gray and white matter differences in healthy normal weight and obese children. J Magn Reson Imaging 2015; 42:1205-13. [PMID: 25865707 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.24912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To compare brain gray and white matter development in healthy normal weight and obese children. METHODS Twenty-four healthy 8- to 10-year-old children whose body mass index was either <75(th) percentile (normal weight) or >95(th) percentile (obese) completed an MRI examination which included T1-weighted three-dimensional structural imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Voxel-based morphometry was used to compare the regional gray and white matter between the normal weight and obese children, and tract-based spatial statistics was used to compare the water diffusion parameters in the white matter between groups. RESULTS Compared with normal weight children, obese children had significant (P < 0.05, family wise error corrected) regional gray matter reduction in the right middle temporal gyrus, left and right thalami, left superior parietal gyrus, left pre/postcentral gyri, and left cerebellum. Obese children also had higher white matter (P < 0.05, corrected) in multiple regions in the brain and higher DTI measured fractional anisotropy (FA) values (P < 0.05, corrected) in part of the left brain association and projection fibers. There was no difference in mean diffusivity at P < 0.05, corrected. DTI eigenvalues suggested that the FA differences were likely from decreased radial diffusivity (P < 0.1, corrected) and there was no change in axial diffusivity (corrected P > 0.35 for all voxels). CONCLUSION Our results indicated that obese but otherwise healthy children have different regional gray and white matter development in the brain and differences in white matter microstructures compared with healthy normal weight children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiawei Ou
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Aline Andres
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - R T Pivik
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Mario A Cleves
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Thomas M Badger
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
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Schwartz DH, Dickie E, Pangelinan MM, Leonard G, Perron M, Pike GB, Richer L, Veillette S, Pausova Z, Paus T. Adiposity is associated with structural properties of the adolescent brain. Neuroimage 2014; 103:192-201. [PMID: 25255944 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity, a major risk factor for cardiometabolic disease, is associated with variations in a number of structural properties in the adult brain, as assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this study, we investigated the cross-sectional relationship between visceral fat (VF), total body fat (TBF) and three MRI parameters in the brains of typically developing adolescents: (i) T1-weighted (T1W) signal intensity; (ii) T1W signal contrast between white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM); and (iii) magnetization transfer ratio (MTR). In a community-based sample of 970 adolescents (12-18 years old, 466 males), VF was quantified using MRI, and total body fat was measured using a multifrequency bioimpedance. T1W images of the brain were used to determine signal intensity in lobar GM and WM, as well as WM:GM signal contrast. A magnetization transfer (MT) sequence of MT(ON) and MT(OFF) was used to obtain MTR in GM and WM. We found that both larger volumes of VF and more TBF were independently associated with higher signal intensity in WM and higher WM:GM signal contrast, as well as higher MTR in both GM and WM. These relationships were independent of a number of potential confounders, including age, sex, puberty stage, household income and height. Our results suggest that both visceral fat and fat deposited elsewhere in the body are associated independently with structural properties of the adolescent brain. We speculate that these relationships suggest the presence of adiposity-related variations in phospholipid composition of brain lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah H Schwartz
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Erin Dickie
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Gabriel Leonard
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - G Bruce Pike
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Suzanne Veillette
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Canada; ÉCOBES, Recherche et transfert, Cégep de Jonquière, Jonquière, Canada
| | - Zdenka Pausova
- Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Tomáš Paus
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada.
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Castillo M. Boosting your brain, part 2: the hard way. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2013; 34:917-8. [PMID: 22790247 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a3229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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