Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2019 Apr;19(2):392-408. doi: 10.3758/s13415-019-00695-2.
The structure and function of the human brain is closely related to cognitive processes of the mind and physiological processes of the body, suggesting that an intricate relationship exists between cognitive health, body health, and underlying neural architecture. In the current study, morphometric differences in cortical and subcortical gray matter regions, white matter integrity, and resting-state functional connectivity was assessed to determine what combinations of neural variables best explain an interconnected behavioral relationship between body mass index (BMI), general intelligence, and specific measures of executive function. Data for 82 subjects were obtained from the Nathan Kline Institute Rockland Sample. Behavioral results indicated a negative relationship between BMI and intelligence, which exhibited mediation by an inhibitory measure of executive function. Neural analyses further revealed generally contrasting associations of BMI, intelligence, and executive function with cortical morphometric regions important for inhibitory control and directed attention. Moreover, BMI related to morphometric alterations in components of a frontolimbic network, namely reduced thickness in the anterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, whereas intelligence and inhibitory control primarily related to increased thickness and volume in parietal regions, as well as significantly increased across-network connectivity of visual and default mode resting-state networks. These results propose that medial prefrontal structure and interconnected frontolimbic and frontoparietal networks are important to consider in the relationship between BMI, intelligence, and executive function.
人类大脑的结构和功能与心理认知过程和身体生理过程密切相关，这表明认知健康、身体健康和潜在的神经结构之间存在着复杂的关系。在目前的研究中，评估了皮质和皮质下灰质区域的形态差异、白质完整性和静息状态功能连接，以确定哪些神经变量组合可以最好地解释身体质量指数 (BMI)、一般智力和特定执行功能测量之间相互关联的行为关系。来自 Nathan Kline Institute Rockland Sample 的 82 名受试者的数据用于该研究。行为结果表明 BMI 和智力呈负相关，而这种负相关受执行功能抑制测量的中介作用。神经分析进一步揭示了 BMI、智力和执行功能与皮质形态区域之间通常存在相反的关联，这些区域对于抑制控制和定向注意力很重要。此外，BMI 与额眶部网络的组成部分的形态改变有关，即前扣带皮层和腹内侧前额叶皮层的厚度减少，而智力和抑制控制主要与顶叶区域的厚度和体积增加以及视觉和默认模式静息状态网络的跨网络连接显著增加有关。这些结果表明，内侧前额叶结构以及相互连接的额眶部和额顶叶网络对于 BMI、智力和执行功能之间的关系是重要的。
