Increased brain cortical thickness associated with visceral fat in adolescents

Summary Background There has been a growing amount of evidence indicating that excess visceral fat is associated with alterations in brain structure and function, including brain cortical thinning in adults. Objectives This study aims to investigate the relationship between brain cortical thickness with obesity assessments, in adolescents. Methods In this study, we measured three different obesity assessments within an adolescent population (aged 15 – 18 years): body mass index (BMI), visceral fat ratio measured with an MRI and hepatorenal gradient measured with an ultrasound. Volunteers also underwent an MRI scan to measure brain structure. Results Results indicated that there was no relationship of BMI or hepatorenal gradient with brain cortical dimensions. However, there was a significant association between visceral fat ratio and an increase of cortical thickness throughout the brain. Conclusions These results suggest that visceral fat, but not BMI, is correlated with cortical thickening in adolescence.