Korean J Fam Pract.
2021 Feb;11(1):61-66. 10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.1.61.
Regional Cortical Thickness in Children and Adolescents with Obesity
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Family Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu, Korea
- 2Department of Family Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, Korea
- 3Department of Family Medicine, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2513129
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.1.61
Abstract
- Background
Previous studies have demonstrated obesity-associated changes in the brain in adults; however, no study has evaluated the cortical thickness or subcortical volumes in obese children and adolescents. The purpose of our study was to investigate changes in cortical thickness in asymptomatic children and adolescents with obesity.
Methods
A total of 21 participants (10 patients with obesity and 11 subjects without obesity), aged 6–18 years, underwent 3T brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning, and cortical thickness was compared between the obese group and the control group across multiple locations. The subcortical volumes were also compared on a structure-by-structure basis.
Results
No significant differences between the obese and non-obese control group were observed with respect to the mean volumes of the total white matter in each hemisphere. However, the obese group showed a significant reduction in the mean cortical thickness of both hemispheres compared to the control group. Group comparison analysis of the regional cortical thicknesses between the two groups also revealed a significant reduction in the cortical thickness of the left supramarginal, inferior parietal, pars orbitalis, and pars opercularis cortices in the obese group compared with that in the control group (P<0.05, false discovery rate corrected).
Conclusion
We demonstrated a significant reduction in the thickness of the cortical areas of obese patients, especially in areas involved in body weight control. Our results suggest the existence of structural brain abnormalities in obese children and adolescents, and further prospective studies are required to evaluate this relationship.
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