Yale study uses brain imaging to predict childhood weight gain

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Research has identified a possible feedback loop where a poor diet triggers increased cell density in a brain region that then influences subsequent eating behavior. Photo: Vladgrin, Deposit Photos 

(Rich Haridy/ New Atlas) — A new imaging study, led by a team from Yale University, has found a high density of cells in a certain brain region can effectively predict future weight gain in children. The research suggests an inflammatory response in the brain, triggered by poor diet, can subsequently influence future overeating.

“Inflammation is known to be associated with obesity, but exactly how it is operating in the human brain has been challenging to investigate,” says Richard Watts, senior author on the new study.

The new study focused on a brain region called the nucleus accumbens. This region is part of the brain’s reward processing system, and prior research has directly linked hyperactivity in the nucleus accumbens to overeating, weight gain and diet failure.

The research examined data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, an ongoing project following thousands of children that is investigating the relationship between brain development and child health. A relatively new MRI technique was also leveraged, called Restriction Spectrum Imaging, allowing for novel insights into tissue microstructures within the brain. (…)

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