Childhood obesity a is major public health problem. 89 children were selected from a subsample of the I. Family study and investigated the volumes of predefined reward system structures -which are presumed to play crucial roles in body weight regulation- using MR volumetry and voxel-based morphometry. Statistical associations between obesity-related measures and MR based volumetric and morphometric parameters were assessed. Volumes of accumbens and amygdala showed significant positive correlations with obesity, while their gray matter density inversely related to obesity. Our results indicate that obesity is associated with enlarged brain volumes, but decreased gray matter density in the reward system.
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