Nucleus accumbens cytoarchitecture predicts weight gain in children
Open accessAbstract
The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents worldwide has quadrupled since 1975 and is a key predictor of obesity later in life. Previous work has consistently observed relationships between macroscale measures of reward-related brain regions (e.g., the nucleus accumbens [NAcc]) and unhealthy eating behaviors and outcomes; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. Recent work has highlighted a potential role of neuroinflammation in the NAcc in animal models of diet-induced obesity. Here, we leverage a diffusion MRI technique, restriction spectrum imaging, to probe the microstructure (cellular density) of subcortical brain regions. More specifically, we test the hypothesis that the cell density of reward-related regions is associated with obesity-related metrics and early weight gain. In a large cohort of nine- and ten-year-olds enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we demonstrate that cellular density in the NAcc is related to individual differences in waist circumference at baseline and is predictive of increases in waist circumference after 1 y. These findings suggest a neurobiological mechanism for pediatric obesity consistent with rodent work showing that high saturated fat diets increase gliosis and neuroinflammation in reward-related brain regions, which in turn lead to further unhealthy eating and obesity.
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Obesity is coupled to structural and functional brain changes that are remarkably similar to those observed in depressive disorders, such as region-specific increases in cell density and compromised neural connectivity and excitability.
“Obesity is coupled to various structural and functional changes in the brain that are remarkably similar to those observed in depressive disorders, such as regionspecific increases in cell density and compromised neural connectivity and excitability [5,6].”
From The menace of obesity to depression and anxiety prevalence (2022) · cites this paper as [5]
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References 111 · Cited by 79
- Authors
- Rapuano, K. M., Laurent, J. S., Hagler, D. J., Hatton, S. N., Thompson, W. K., Jernigan, T. L., Dale, A. M., Casey, B. J., & Watts, R.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- University of Vermont (US)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Corresponding author
- Watts, Richard
- ORCID
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2020-10-12
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 43
- Pages
- 26977-26984
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC7604478
- OpenAlex
- W3091776765
- Cited by
- 79
- References
- 111
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 9.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- HHS | NIH | National Institute on Drug Abuse (U01 DA041174, U24 DA041123)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Keywords
- nucleus accumbens, childhood obesity, weight gain, cell density, restriction spectrum imaging, neuroinflammation, gliosis, brain reward system, waist circumference, dietary saturated fat, unhealthy diet, adolescent brain development
- MeSH terms
- Cell Count, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Nucleus Accumbens, Weight Gain, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Waist Circumference, Pediatric Obesity
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