ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

Brief summary: This study analyzed cross-sectional data on almost 5,000 adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort data (https://abcdstudy.org/), including resting state functional MRI, structural MRI and neurocognitive task scores. Excess BMI in young adolescents was associated with profound aberrant topological alterations in maturating functional circuits, as well as with underdeveloped brain structures that may adversely impact cognitive function.

The effects of obesity on the developing brain and associated mental and cognitive health remain incompletely understood (1-3). Impaired cognitive function in obesity has been reported already in children at preschool ages. Lower academic performance and executive function, as well as higher impulsivity, have been reported in adolescents with obesity (4–6).

This study significantly contributes to the incomplete understanding of the relationship between excess body fat and the developing circuits in the brain. Topological network properties were estimated at the scale of individual regions, large scale networks including the reward and social networks, as well as the whole brain connectome as described in detail (7,8). The results suggest that obesity may have widespread detrimental effects on developing neuro-circuits, the morphology of the underlaying brain structure, and the connective processes they support. These alterations may disrupt normal neural maturation and cognitive health. Interestingly, adolescents with obesity performed worse in a task measuring fluid reasoning, which is related to high-level cognitive processes. A strength of this study is the very large cohort resulting in significant and likely generalizable findings.

References: 1. Fergenbaum JH, Bruce S, Lou W, Hanley AJ, Greenwood C, Young TK: Obesity and lowered cognitive performance in a Canadian First Nations population. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2009, 17(10):1957–1963. 2. Wang F, Wild TC, Kipp W, Kuhle S, Veugelers PJ: The influence of childhood obesity on the development of self-esteem. Health Rep 2009, 20(2):21–27. 3. Griffiths LJ, Parsons TJ, Hill AJ: Self-esteem and quality of life in obese children and adolescents: a systematic review. Int J Pediatr Obes 2010, 5(4):282–304. 4. Li Y, Dai Q, Jackson JC, Zhang J: Overweight is associated with decreased cognitive functioning among school-age children and adolescents. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2008, 16(8):1809–1815. 5. Schwartz DH, Leonard G, Perron M, Richer L, Syme C, Veillette S, Pausova Z, Paus T: Visceral fat is associated with lower executive functioning in adolescents. Int J Obes (Lond) 2013, 37(10):1336–1343. 6. Delgado-Rico E, Río-Valle JS, González-Jiménez E, Campoy C, Verdejo-García A: BMI predicts emotion-driven impulsivity and cognitive inflexibility in adolescents with excess weight. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2012, 20(8):1604–1610. 7. Brooks SJ, Parks SM, Stamoulis C: Widespread Positive Direct and Indirect Effects of Regular Physical Activity on the Developing Functional Connectome in Early Adolescence. Cereb Cortex 2021, 31(10):4840–4852. 8. Brooks SJ, Katz ES, Stamoulis C: Shorter Duration and Lower Quality Sleep Have Widespread Detrimental Effects on Developing Functional Brain Networks in Early Adolescence. Cereb Cortex Commun 2022, 3(1):tgab062.