BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Recent studies have suggested that maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with differences in neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationships between maternal obesity during pregnancy and neonatal brain cortical development.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four healthy women (28 normal-weight, 16 obese) were prospectively recruited at ,10 weeks' gestation, and their healthy full-term neonates (23 boys, 21 girls) underwent brain MR imaging. All pregnant women had their body composition (fat mass percentage) measured at $12 weeks of pregnancy. All neonates were scanned at $2 weeks of age during natural sleep without sedation, and their 3D T1-weighted images were postprocessed by the new iBEAT2.0 software. Brain MR imaging segmentation and cortical surface reconstruction and parcellation were completed using age-appropriate templates. Mean cortical thickness for 34 regions in each brain hemisphere defined by the UNC Neonatal Cortical Surface Atlas was measured, compared between groups, and correlated with maternal body fat mass percentage, controlled for neonate sex and race, postmenstrual age at MR imaging, maternal age at pregnancy, and the maternal intelligence quotient and education. RESULTS:Neonates born to obese mothers showed significantly lower (P # .05, false discovery rate-corrected) cortical thickness in the left pars opercularis gyrus, left pars triangularis gyrus, and left rostral middle frontal gyrus. Mean cortical thickness in these frontal lobe regions negatively correlated (R ¼ -0.34, P ¼ .04; R ¼ -0.50, P ¼ .001; and R ¼ -0.42, P ¼ .01; respectively) with the maternal body fat mass percentage measured at early pregnancy.CONCLUSIONS: Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with lower neonate brain cortical thickness in several frontal lobe regions important for language and executive functions.

BackgroundPhysical activity is known to improve mental health, and is regarded as safe and desirable for uncomplicated pregnancy. In this novel study, we aim to evaluate whether there are associations between maternal physical activity during pregnancy and neonatal brain cortical development.MethodsForty-four mother/newborn dyads were included in this longitudinal study. Healthy pregnant women were recruited and their physical activity throughout pregnancy were documented using accelerometers worn for 3–7 days for each of the 6 time points at 4–10, ∼12, ∼18, ∼24, ∼30, and ∼36 weeks of pregnancy. Average daily total steps and daily total activity count as well as daily minutes spent in sedentary/light/moderate/vigorous activity modes were extracted from the accelerometers for each time point. At ∼2 weeks of postnatal age, their newborns underwent an MRI examination of the brain without sedation, and 3D T1-weighted brain structural images were post-processed by the iBEAT2.0 software utilizing advanced deep learning approaches. Cortical surface maps were reconstructed from the segmented brain images and parcellated to 34 regions in each brain hemisphere, and mean cortical thickness for each region was computed for partial correlation analyses with physical activity measures, with appropriate multiple comparison corrections and potential confounders controlled.ResultsAt 4–10 weeks of pregnancy, mother’s daily total activity count positively correlated (FDR corrected P ≤ 0.05) with newborn’s cortical thickness in the left caudal middle frontal gyrus (rho = 0.48, P = 0.04), right medial orbital frontal gyrus (rho = 0.48, P = 0.04), and right transverse temporal gyrus (rho = 0.48, P = 0.04); mother’s daily time in moderate activity mode positively correlated with newborn’s cortical thickness in the right transverse temporal gyrus (rho = 0.53, P = 0.03). At ∼24 weeks of pregnancy, mother’s daily total activity count positively correlated (FDR corrected P ≤ 0.05) with newborn’s cortical thickness in the left (rho = 0.56, P = 0.02) and right isthmus cingulate gyrus (rho = 0.50, P = 0.05).ConclusionWe identified significant relationships between physical activity in healthy pregnant women during the 1st and 2nd trimester and brain cortical development in newborns. Higher maternal physical activity level is associated with greater neonatal brain cortical thickness, presumably indicating better cortical development.

No abstract

No abstract