Novel brain biomarkers of obesity based on statistical measurements of white matter tracts

Abstract

Novel brain biomarkers of obesity were sought by studying statistical measurements on fractional anisotropy (FA) images of different white matter (WM) tracts from subjects with specific demographic characteristics. Tract measurements were chosen that showed differences between two groups (normal weigh and overweight/obese) and that were correlated with their BMI. From these measurements, a simple and novel process was applied to select those that would allow the creation of models to quantify and classify the state of obesity of individuals. The biomarkers were created from the tract measurements used in the models. Some positive correlations were found between WM integrity and BMI, mainly in tracts involved in motor functions. From this result, neuroplasticity in motor tracts associated with obesity was hypothesized. Two models were built to quantify and classify obesity status, whose regression coefficients formed the novel proposed obesity-associated brain biomarkers. A process for the selection of tract measurements was proposed, such that models were built to determine the obesity status of subjects individually. From these models, novel brain biomarkers associated with obesity were created. These allow the generation of new knowledge and are intended to be a future tool in the clinical environment for the prevention and treatment of brain changes associated with obesity.