Smaller subcortical volume relates to greater weight gain in girls with initially healthy weight
Authors' conclusion
The results suggest a potential phenotype for identifying obesity risk because underlying differences among regions involved in food intake were related to greater weight gain in girls, but not in boys. Importantly, 2 years of weight gain may not be sufficient to alter brain development, highlighting early puberty as a critical time to prevent negative neurological outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Youth aged 9 to 12 years without overweight or obesity at baseline, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study; 2-year period of pre- and early adolescence385 developed overweight/obesity
- Participants
- 3,614 participants
- Outcome
- Subcortical volume change and BMI increase
- Follow-up
- 2 years
Methodological detailslinear mixed-effects regression, stratified by sex
- Linear mixed-effects regression
- Stratified by sex
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
2 years
- Girls: greater BMI increases driven by smaller volumes over time in bilateral accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, right caudate, right ventral diencephalon and left pallidum, independent of puberty
- all p < 0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Smaller subcortical volume relates to greater weight gain in girls with initially healthy weight. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 6 May 2024. doi:10.
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