Childhood Obesity, Cortical Structure, and Executive Function in Healthy Children.

ABSTRACT: The development of executive function is linked to maturation of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in childhood. Childhood obesity has been associated with changes in brain structure, particularly in PFC, as well as deficits in executive functions. We aimed to determine whether differences in cortical structure mediate the relationship between executive function and childhood obesity. We analyzed MR-derived measures of cortical thickness for 2700 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years, recruited as part of the NIH Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We related our findings to measures of executive function and body mass index (BMI). In our analysis, increased BMI was associated with significantly reduced mean cortical thickness, as well as specific bilateral reduced cortica

SUBMITTER: Ronan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7175011 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature