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Abstract #3451

Childhood Obesity is Associated with Lower Grey Matter Volume in Children

Xiawei Ou 1,2 , Aline Andres 3,4 , R.T. Pivik 3,4 , Mario Cleves 3,4 , and Thomas Badger 3,4

1 Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, United States, 2 Radiology and Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States, 3 Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, United States, 4 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, AR, United States

Recent studies have reported associations between morbid obesity and changes in brain structure and/or function. In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to evaluate brain grey matter development in healthy school-aged children who are either normal weight or obese. Our results showed that obese (otherwise healthy) children had significantly lower regional grey matter volume in widespread brain regions compared to normal weight children. Whether there is a cause-effect relationship between childhood obesity and changes in brain development will need further investigation.

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