Weise C M, Piaggi P, Reinhardt M, Chen K, Savage C R, Krakoff J, Pleger B
Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section, Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Int J Obes (Lond). 2017 Mar;41(3):458-466. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2016.222. Epub 2016 Dec 5.
Body weight and adiposity are heritable traits. To date, it remains unknown whether obesity-associated brain structural alterations are under a similar level of genetic control.
For this study, we utilized magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project. Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate associations between body mass index (BMI) and regional gray matter volume (GMV) in a sample of 875 young adults with a wide BMI range (386 males/489 females; age 28.8±3.7 years; BMI 26.6±5.3 kg m) that included 86 pairs of monozygotic twins and 82 pairs of dizygotic twins. Twin data were analyzed by applying the additive genetic, common environmental and residual effects model to determine heritability of brain regions that were associated with BMI.
We observed positive associations between BMI and GMV in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the right cerebellum and widespread negative associations within the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, temporal lobes and distinct subcortical structures. Varying degrees of heritability were found for BMI-associated brain regions, with the highest heritability estimates for cerebellar GMV and subcortical structures.
These data indicate that brain regions associated with obesity are subject to differing levels of genetic control and environmental influences. Specific brain regions with high heritability might represent an inherent vulnerability factor for obesity.
体重和肥胖是可遗传的性状。迄今为止，尚不清楚与肥胖相关的脑结构改变是否受类似程度的基因控制。
在本研究中，我们利用了人类连接组计划的磁共振成像数据。基于体素的形态测量法用于研究875名体重指数（BMI）范围广泛的年轻成年人（386名男性/489名女性；年龄28.8±3.7岁；BMI 26.6±5.3kg/m²）样本中BMI与区域灰质体积（GMV）之间的关联，该样本包括86对同卵双胞胎和82对异卵双胞胎。通过应用加性遗传、共同环境和残余效应模型分析双胞胎数据，以确定与BMI相关的脑区的遗传度。
我们观察到腹内侧前额叶皮层和右侧小脑的BMI与GMV之间呈正相关，而前额叶皮层、小脑、颞叶和不同的皮层下结构内广泛呈负相关。发现与BMI相关的脑区具有不同程度的遗传度，小脑GMV和皮层下结构的遗传度估计最高。
这些数据表明，与肥胖相关的脑区受不同程度的基因控制和环境影响。具有高遗传度的特定脑区可能代表肥胖的内在易患因素。
