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In Utero Exposure to Maternal Overweight or Obesity is Associated with Altered Offspring Brain Function in Middle Childhood
Author(s) -
Shapiro Allison L. B.,
Moore Brianna F.,
Sutton Brianne,
Wilkening Greta,
Stence Nicholas,
Dabelea Dana,
Tregellas Jason R.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22908
Subject(s) - overweight , medicine , offspring , in utero , obesity , pregnancy , childhood obesity , endocrinology , obstetrics , pediatrics , fetus , biology , genetics
Objective The impact of in utero exposure to maternal overweight and obesity on offspring metabolic health is well documented. Neurodevelopmental outcomes among these children are, however, less well studied. To address this gap, the current study investigated brain function among 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children exposed to maternal overweight or obesity during gestation compared with that of children born to mothers with healthy BMI in pregnancy. Methods Resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to study neuronal activity and connectivity during a passive viewing task (movie) among 101 typically developing children enrolled in the Healthy Start study, a longitudinal prebirth cohort in Colorado. Results Forty‐nine children (48%) were exposed to maternal overweight or obesity in utero (mean age = 5 years, SD = 0.9). Children born to mothers with overweight or obesity demonstrated hyperactivity in the left posterior cingulate cortex and hypoactivity in the dorsal anterior cingulate and the supplementary motor area ( P < 0.05 for all). Children born to mothers with overweight or obesity also showed ubiquitously weaker brain connectivity ( P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions These novel results suggest altered brain function among children exposed to maternal overweight and obesity in utero .