Maternal, Fetal & Neonatal Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
J Neurosci Res. 2024 Jul;102(7):e25368. doi: 10.1002/jnr.25368.
Maternal obesity before or during pregnancy has been associated previously in offspring with a wide range of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes and mental health problems. The effects of maternal obesity on offspring brain structure and function that may be responsible for these poor outcomes are not well understood. We, therefore, undertook a systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies that have assessed the associations of maternal obesity with brain measures in offspring. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO on August 20, 2023. Of 15 eligible studies, seven employed functional MRI (fMRI), five diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and four anatomical MRI (one used both DTI and anatomical MRI) in the offspring. The ages of offspring varied widely: one was a study of fetuses in utero, five of neonates, one of infants, five of school-aged children, two of both neonates and infants, and one of both children and adults. Collectively, 12 studies reported significant associations of maternal obesity with structural or functional alterations of the offspring's brain, most frequently in the prefrontal cortex and limbic system. In conclusion, maternal obesity appears to have a profound influence on offspring brain development, particularly within the prefrontal and limbic networks that regulate emotion and behavior. Further studies are needed to identify how changes in brain structure and function mediate the effects of maternal obesity on long-term emotional and behavioral outcomes, as well as the molecular pathways through which maternal obesity alters offspring brain development.
先前的研究表明，母亲在怀孕前或怀孕期间肥胖与后代广泛的神经发育不良和心理健康问题有关。然而，母亲肥胖对后代大脑结构和功能的影响，这些影响可能是导致这些不良后果的原因，目前还不是很清楚。因此，我们对评估母亲肥胖与后代大脑测量值之间关联的磁共振成像（MRI）研究进行了系统回顾。我们于 2023 年 8 月 20 日在 PubMed、Web of Science、Scopus 和 PsycINFO 上进行了系统搜索。在 15 项符合条件的研究中，有 7 项研究在后代中使用了功能磁共振成像（fMRI），5 项研究使用了弥散张量成像（DTI），4 项研究使用了解剖磁共振成像（其中 1 项同时使用了 DTI 和解剖磁共振成像）。后代的年龄差异很大：一项研究是对宫内胎儿进行的，五项研究是对新生儿进行的，一项研究是对婴儿进行的，五项研究是对学龄儿童进行的，两项研究是对新生儿和婴儿进行的，一项研究是对儿童和成人进行的。总的来说，有 12 项研究报告了母亲肥胖与后代大脑结构或功能改变之间存在显著关联，这些改变最常发生在前额叶皮层和边缘系统。总之，母亲肥胖似乎对后代大脑发育有深远影响，尤其是在调节情绪和行为的前额叶和边缘网络内。需要进一步的研究来确定大脑结构和功能的变化如何介导母亲肥胖对长期情绪和行为结果的影响，以及母亲肥胖改变后代大脑发育的分子途径。
