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Gender differences in the association between stop-signal reaction times, body mass indices and/or spontaneous food intake in pre-school children: an early model of compromised inhibitory control and obesity

International Journal of Obesity volume 39, pages 614–619 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Poor inhibitory control is associated with overeating and/or obesity in school-age children, adolescents and adults. The current study examined whether an objective and reliable marker of response inhibition, the stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), is associated with body mass index (BMI) z-scores and/or food intake during a snack test in pre-school children.

Methods:

The current sample consisted of 193 pre-school children taking part in a longitudinal study of early brain development (Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (the MAVAN project)). Linear mixed-effect models were used to examine whether the SSRT measured at age 48 months associated with BMI z-scores and/or dietary intake during a laboratory-based snack test.

Results:

After controlling for significant covariates including maternal BMI, there was a significant gender by SSRT interaction effect in predicting 48-month BMI z-scores. Post-hoc analysis revealed an association between longer SSRTs (poor response inhibition) and higher BMIs in girls but not boys. Across both girls and boys, longer SSRTs were associated with greater intake of carbohydrates and sugars during the snack test. The association between SSRT scores and BMI z-scores in girls was not statistically mediated by carbohydrate or sugar intake.

Conclusions:

At 48 months of age, slower response inhibition on the Stop-Signal Task associates with higher BMI z-scores in girls, and with higher intake of carbohydrates and sugars during a snack test across both genders. Ongoing follow-up of these children will help clarify the implications of these associations for longer term macronutrient intake, eating-related pathology and/or pathological weight gain over time.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Patricia Szymkow and Jessica Grummitt for their extensive help with data collection and data management, and Tamara Arenovich for her advice on the statistical methods. This work is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Author information

Author notes

  1. R D Levitan, J Rivera, P P Silveira, M Steiner, H Gaudreau, J Hamilton, J L Kennedy, C Davis, L Dube, L Fellows, A Wazana, S Matthews and M J Meaney: Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    R D Levitan, J Rivera & J L Kennedy

  2. Department of Psychiatry, CAMH, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    R D Levitan & J L Kennedy

  3. Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    R D Levitan & S Matthews

  4. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    J Rivera

  5. Núcleo de Estudos da Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    P P Silveira

  6. Department of Psychiatry, St Joseph’s Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    M Steiner

  7. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quèbec, Canada

    H Gaudreau & M J Meaney

  8. Division of Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    J Hamilton

  9. Department of Kinesiology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    C Davis

  10. Department of Management, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    L Dube

  11. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quèbec, Canada

    L Fellows

  12. Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quèbec, Canada

    A Wazana

  13. Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, McGill University, Montreal, Quèbec, Canada

    M J Meaney

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on behalf of the MAVAN Study Team

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R D Levitan.

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Competing interests

JLK has received an honorarium from Lilly and has been a consultant to Roche in the past 3 years.

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Levitan, R., Rivera, J., Silveira, P. et al. Gender differences in the association between stop-signal reaction times, body mass indices and/or spontaneous food intake in pre-school children: an early model of compromised inhibitory control and obesity. Int J Obes 39, 614–619 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.207

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.207

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