Juan Verdejo-Román1, Lassi Björnholm2,3,4, Ryan L Muetzel5,6,7, Francisco José Torres-Espínola8,9, Johannes Lieslehto2,3,4, Vincent Jaddoe6,10, Daniel Campos8,9, Juha Veijola2,3,4, Tonya White5, Andrés Catena1, Juha Nikkinen4,11, Vesa Kiviniemi12, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin13,14,15,16,17, Henning Tiemeier5,18, Cristina Campoy8,9, Sylvain Sebert13, Hanan El Marroun19,20,21,22. 1. Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain. 2. The Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. 4. Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. 5. The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands. 6. The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, 3000 CA, The Netherlands. 7. The Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, 3000 CA, The Netherlands. 8. EURISTIKOS, Excellence Center for Pediatric Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. 9. The Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. 10. The Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands. 11. Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. 12. Institute of Diagnostics, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. 13. Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. 14. Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. 15. Unit of Primary Health Care, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. 16. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK. 17. Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, UK. 18. The Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. 19. The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands. h.marrounel@erasmusmc.nl. 20. The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, 3000 CA, The Netherlands. h.marrounel@erasmusmc.nl. 21. The Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands. h.marrounel@erasmusmc.nl. 22. Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. h.marrounel@erasmusmc.nl.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prepregnancy maternal obesity is a global health problem and has been associated with offspring metabolic and mental ill-health. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding potential neurobiological factors related to these associations. This study explored the relation between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and offspring brain white matter microstructure at the age of 6, 10, and 26 years in three independent cohorts. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study used data from three European birth cohorts (n = 116 children aged 6 years, n = 2466 children aged 10 years, and n = 437 young adults aged 26 years). Information on maternal prepregnancy BMI was obtained before or during pregnancy and offspring brain white matter microstructure was measured at age 6, 10, or 26 years. We used magnetic resonance imaging-derived fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) as measures of white matter microstructure in the brainstem, callosal, limbic, association, and projection tracts. Linear regressions were fitted to examine the association of maternal BMI and offspring white matter microstructure, adjusting for several socioeconomic and lifestyle-related confounders, including education, smoking, and alcohol use. RESULTS: Maternal BMI was associated with higher FA and lower MD in multiple brain tracts, for example, association and projection fibers, in offspring aged 10 and 26 years, but not at 6 years. In each cohort maternal BMI was related to different white matter tract and thus no common associations across the cohorts were found. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal BMI was associated with higher FA and lower MD in multiple brain tracts in offspring aged 10 and 26 years, but not at 6 years of age. Future studies should examine whether our observations can be replicated and explore the potential causal nature of the findings.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prepregnancy maternal obesity is a global health problem and has been associated with offspring metabolic and mental ill-health. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding potential neurobiological factors related to these associations. This study explored the relation between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and offspring brain white matter microstructure at the age of 6, 10, and 26 years in three independent cohorts. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study used data from three European birth cohorts (n = 116 children aged 6 years, n = 2466 children aged 10 years, and n = 437 young adults aged 26 years). Information on maternal prepregnancy BMI was obtained before or during pregnancy and offspring brain white matter microstructure was measured at age 6, 10, or 26 years. We used magnetic resonance imaging-derived fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) as measures of white matter microstructure in the brainstem, callosal, limbic, association, and projection tracts. Linear regressions were fitted to examine the association of maternal BMI and offspring white matter microstructure, adjusting for several socioeconomic and lifestyle-related confounders, including education, smoking, and alcohol use. RESULTS: Maternal BMI was associated with higher FA and lower MD in multiple brain tracts, for example, association and projection fibers, in offspring aged 10 and 26 years, but not at 6 years. In each cohort maternal BMI was related to different white matter tract and thus no common associations across the cohorts were found. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal BMI was associated with higher FA and lower MD in multiple brain tracts in offspring aged 10 and 26 years, but not at 6 years of age. Future studies should examine whether our observations can be replicated and explore the potential causal nature of the findings.
Authors: Ana Nieto-Ruiz; José A García-Santos; Juan Verdejo-Román; Estefanía Diéguez; Natalia Sepúlveda-Valbuena; Florian Herrmann; Tomás Cerdó; Roser De-Castellar; Jesús Jiménez; Mercedes G Bermúdez; Miguel Pérez-García; M Teresa Miranda; M Carmen López-Sabater; Andrés Catena; Cristina Campoy Journal: Front Nutr Date: 2022-03-09
Authors: Jaisalmer de Frutos-Lucas; Pablo Cuesta; David López-Sanz; África Peral-Suárez; Esther Cuadrado-Soto; Federico Ramírez-Toraño; Belinda M Brown; Juan M Serrano; Simon M Laws; Inmaculada C Rodríguez-Rojo; Juan Verdejo-Román; Ricardo Bruña; Maria L Delgado-Losada; Ana Barabash; Ana M López-Sobaler; Ramón López-Higes; Alberto Marcos; Fernando Maestú Journal: Alzheimers Res Ther Date: 2020-04-24 Impact factor: 6.982