Body weight-related alterations in white matter functional connectivity in children: An fMRI study.

BACKGROUND

Childhood obesity is linked to altered brain functional connectivity (FC) in brain gray matter (GM), with potential implications on changes in cognition function. This study investigates white matter – white matter (WM-WM) and WM-GM FC differences between children with normal-weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

METHODS

Resting-state fMRI data from 68 children aged 10–12 years (32 OW/OB, 36 NW) were analyzed. FC matrices were constructed using predefined WM and GM region of Interest (ROI). Group differences and correlations with body mass index (BMI) were analyzed using t-test and Pearson correlation.

RESULTS

The OW/OB group exhibited increased WM-WM FC between the middle cerebellar peduncle (m.CBLP) and right uncinate fasciculus (r.UF), which was also positively correlated with BMI (R = 0.47, p = 0.0001). Meanwhile, reduced WM-GM FC was observed between the body of the corpus callosum (b.CC) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (r.DLPFC), which was also negatively correlated with BMI (R = -0.44, p = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that childhood obesity is associated with changes in WM-WM and WM-GM FC, potentially impacting motor coordination (via m.CBLP-r.UF) and executive function (via b.CC-r.DLPFC), contributing to cognitive regulation differences.