Biology subjects

Ottino-Gonzalez, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Ottino-Gonzalez, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Sex-specific Effects of Outdoor Air Pollution on Subcortical Microstructure and Weight Gain: Findings from the ABCD Study

Obesity is associated with structural alterations of brain regions that support eating behavior. Exposure to air pollutants might exacerbate this association through neurotoxic effects on the brain. This study evaluated whether air pollution exposure 9-10 years old children, coupled with brain microstructure development in appetite-regulating regions, is associated with body mass index (BMI) changes over two years, and whether these associations differ by sex. Data were gathered from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study(R) (nbaseline=4,802, ages=9-10, males=49.9%, nfollow-up=2,439, ages=11-12, males=51.1%). Annual average estimates of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3), and redox-weighted oxidative capacity (Oxwt, a joint measure of NO2 and O3) were gathered from youths residential addresses. Brain microstructure in 16 subcortical regions was assessed using diffusion-weighted MRI, focusing on proxies of cellular and neurite density: restricted normalized isotropic (RNI) and directional (RND) diffusion, respectively. Linear mixed-effects models examined whether air pollution and brain microstructure are related to BMI changes over two years, and whether these associations differed by sex. Exposure to PM2.5 coupled with high RND estimates in right caudate nucleus, bilateral putamen, and pallidum were associated with higher BMI over time, with pronounced effects in males (all p<0.05). PM2.5 coupled with greater neurite density in regions involved in reward-processing and decision-making were associated with higher BMI over a 2-year follow-up, especially in males. This research highlights air pollution as a modifiable risk factor for how differences in basal ganglia neurite density map onto obesity risk, with important implications for public health policy. HIGHLIGHTSO_LIHigh PM2.5 exposure and subcortical neurite density is associated with weight gain C_LIO_LIPM2.5 and subcortical development associations with BMI are pronounced in males C_LIO_LISignificant associations with BMI were found in regions involved in food intake C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Inflammatory agents partially explain changes in cortical thickness and surface area related to body mass index in adolescence

Background/ObjectivesExcessive body mass index (BMI) has been linked to a low-grade chronic inflammation state. Unhealthy BMI has also been related to neuroanatomical changes in adults. However, research in adolescents is relatively limited and has produced conflicting results. This study aims to address the relationship between BMI and adolescents brain structure as well as to test the role that inflammatory adipose-related agents might have over this putative link.\n\nMethodsWe studied structural MRI and serum levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-), C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in 65 adolescents (aged 12-21 years). Relationships between BMI, cortical thickness and surface area were tested with a vertex-wise analysis. Subsequently, we used backward multiple linear regression models to explore the influence of inflammatory parameters in each brain-altered area.\n\nResultsWe found a negative association between cortical thickness and BMI in the left lateral occipital cortex (LOC), the left fusiform gyrus and the right precentral gyrus as well as a positive relationship between surface area and BMI in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus. In addition, we found that higher fibrinogen serum concentrations were related to thinning within the left LOC ({beta} = -0.45, p < 0.001) and the left fusiform gyrus ({beta} = - 0.33, p = 0.035), while higher serum levels of TNF- were associated to a greater surface area in the right superior frontal gyrus ({beta} = 0.32, p = 0.045).\n\nConclusionsThese results suggest that adolescents body mass increases are related with brain abnormalities in areas that could play a relevant role in some aspects of feeding behavior. Likewise, we have evidenced that these cortical changes were partially driven by inflammatory agents such as fibrinogen and TNF-.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Obesity and brain topological organization differences throughout the lifespan

Life expectancy and obesity rates have drastically increased in recent years. An unhealthy weight is related to long-lasting biological deregulations that might compromise the normal course of aging. The aim of the current study was to test whether the network composition of young adults with obesity would show signs of premature aging. To this end, subjects with obesity (N = 30, mean age 32.8 {+/-} 5.68), healthy-weight controls (N = 33, mean age 30.9 {+/-} 6.24) as well as non-demented seniors (N = 30, mean age 67.1 {+/-} 6.65) all underwent a resting-state MRI acquisition. Functional connectivity was studied by means of graph-theory measurements (i.e., small-world index, clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, and mean degree). Contrary to what expected, obesity in adults was related to disruptions in small-world properties driven by increases in network segregation (i.e., clustering coefficient) as compared to elders. Also, this group showed alterations in global and regional centrality metrics (i.e., degree) relative to controls and seniors. Despite not mimicking what was here shown by seniors, the topological organization linked to an obesity status may represent a flaw for cognitive functions depending on the rapid combination between different modular communities.

neuroscience↗