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• Clinical Article •
Analysis of coordinated changes in brain structure and function in obese children based on multimodal MRI
LI Qian  ZHAO Jun  WANG Xin  WANG Ruizhu 

Cite this article as: LI Q, ZHAO J, WANG X, et al. Analysis of coordinated changes in brain structure and function in obese children based on multimodal MRI[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2026, 17(9): 49-54. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.09.007.


[Abstract] Objective To investigate the coordinated changes in brain structure and function in obese children, providing imaging evidence for understanding the effects of obesity on pediatric neurodevelopment.Materials and Methods This study was a prospective case-control study, consecutively enrolling 46 obese children aged 8 to 14 years and 48 children of normal weight. Multimodal MRI scanning was performed using a 3.0 T scanner, including three-dimensional T1-weighted imaging (3D-T1WI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), to compare differences in gray and white matter volumes, white matter integrity, and functional network connectivity between the two groups.Results Compared with control group, the obese group showed significantly reduced volumes in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus (P < 0.001), and significantly increased volumes in the striatum and orbitofrontal cortex (P < 0.001). DTI showed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy values in the corpus callosum and internal capsule in the obese group (P < 0.001). Functional analysis revealed altered network connectivity in the obese group, with enhanced connectivity within reward and default mode networks and weakened connectivity within the executive control network (P < 0.001). Structural and functional changes were significantly correlated (r = 0.58 to 0.65, P < 0.001).Conclusions This study suggests that obese children may exhibit a coordinated patterns of reduced volume in cognitive control regions accompanied by reward system hyperactivation. Multimodal MRI may help elucidate the associations between obesity and structural and functional brain alterations in children, providing imaging clues for the early identification and precision intervention of obesity-related neurodevelopmental disorders.
[Keywords] obesity；children；magnetic resonance imaging；brain structure；brain function

LI Qian   ZHAO Jun   WANG Xin   WANG Ruizhu*  

Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210008, China

Corresponding author: WANG R Z, E-mail: njchwrz@163.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2026-05-07
Accepted  2026-08-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.09.007
Cite this article as: LI Q, ZHAO J, WANG X, et al. Analysis of coordinated changes in brain structure and function in obese children based on multimodal MRI[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2026, 17(9): 49-54. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.09.007.

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