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Abstract #3449

Maternal Obesity Negatively Affects Offsprings Brain White Matter Development

Xiawei Ou 1,2 , Aline Andres 3,4 , Keshari M Thakali 3 , Kartik Shankar 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 Pediatircs, 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

While strong evidence links maternal adiposity with increased risk for childhood obesity and related health concerns, less is known about potential effects of maternal body composition on fetal CNS development. In this study, we employed DTI to examine brain structure in 2-week-old term infants born from normal weight and obese mothers. Our results demonstrated that infants from obese mothers have lower white matter development (as indicated by lower FA values) than those born of normal weight mothers. White matter development in newborn infants negatively correlated with maternal adiposity. The mechanisms underlying these effects and their consequences are under investigation.

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