title: Brown adipose tissue in the buccal fat pad during infancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The buccal fat pad (BFP) is an encapsulated mass of adipose tissue thought to enhance the sucking capabilities of the masticatory muscles during infancy. To date, no conclusive evidence has been provided as to the composition of the BFP in early postnatal life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine whether the BFP of neonates and infants is primarily composed of white adipose tissue (WAT) or brown adipose tissue (BAT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The percentage of fat in the BFP in 32 full-term infants (16 boys and 16 girls), aged one day to 10.6 months, was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) determinations of fat fraction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BFP fat fraction increased with age (r = 0.67; P<.0001) and neonates had significantly lower values when compared to older infants; 72.6 ± 9.6 vs. 91.8 ± 2.4, P<.0001. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the age-dependent relationship persisted after accounting for gender, gestational age, and weight percentile (P = .001). Two subjects (aged one and six days) depicted a change in the MRI characteristics of the BFP from primarily BAT to WAT at follow-up examinations two to six weeks later, respectively. Histological post-mortem studies of a 3 day and 1.1 month old revealed predominantly BAT and WAT in the BFP, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The BFP is primarily composed of BAT during the first weeks of life, but of WAT thereafter. Studies are needed to investigate the contributions of BAT in the BFP to infant feeding and how it is altered by postnatal nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Skorn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ponrartana
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Shilpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Patricia C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Aggabao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Zdena
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pavlova
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sherin U
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Devaskar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America ; Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gilsanz
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000166:cytology*; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000166:cytology*; D050154:Adiposity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007568:Jaw / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male