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Behavior, Psychology and Sociology

The interrelationship of body mass index with gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity of the hypothalamus

International Journal of Obesity volume 44, pages 1097–1107 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Background

The hypothalamus plays an important role in regulating body weight through its interactions with multiple brain circuits involved in distinct aspects of feeding behavior. Yet, how hypothalamic gray matter volume (GMV) and connectivity may be related to individual differences in body weight remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the hypothalamus shows enhanced resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) with regions of the reward, motivation, and motor circuits in positive correlation with body mass index (BMI) and the opposite with those associated with inhibitory control. We further examined the interdependent relationships between hypothalamic GMV, connectivity, and body weight.

Methods

Using seed-based rsFC and voxel-based morphometry analyses, we examined the relationship between the rsFC and GMV of the hypothalamus and BMI in 105 healthy humans. Additionally, we employed mediation analyses to characterize the inter-relationships between hypothalamic connectivity, GMV, and BMI.

Results

A whole-brain multiple regression showed that BMI was positively correlated with hypothalamic rsFC with the insula, thalamus, globus pallidus, and cerebellum, and negatively correlated with hypothalamic rsFC with the superior parietal lobule. Thus, higher BMI was associated with enhanced hypothalamic connectivity with regions involved in motivated feeding and reduced connectivity with those in support of cognitive control of food intake. A second whole-brain multiple regression revealed a positive correlation between hypothalamic GMV and the hypothalamus–posterior insula connectivity. Finally, the relationship between hypothalamic GMV and BMI was significantly and bidirectionally mediated by the hypothalamus–posterior insula connectivity.

Conclusions

The current findings suggest that the hypothalamus differentially interacts with the motivation, motor, and control circuits to regulate BMI. We further found evidence for the interdependence of hypothalamic structure, function, and body weight, which provides potential insights into the brain mechanisms of obesity.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported by National Institutes of Health grants DA023248, AA021449, DA045189. The NIH otherwise has no roles in study design, data collection and analysis, or the decision to publish the current results. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA

    Thang M. Le, Ding-Lieh Liao, Jaime Ide, Sheng Zhang, Simon Zhornitsky, Wuyi Wang & Chiang-Shan R. Li

  2. Department of General Psychiatry, Tao-Yuan Psychiatric Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Ding-Lieh Liao

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Chiang-Shan R. Li

  4. Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Chiang-Shan R. Li

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Le, T.M., Liao, DL., Ide, J. et al. The interrelationship of body mass index with gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity of the hypothalamus. Int J Obes 44, 1097–1107 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-019-0496-8

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