title: Central adiposity is negatively associated with hippocampal-dependent relational memory among overweight and obese children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess associations between adiposity and hippocampal-dependent and hippocampal-independent memory forms among prepubertal children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prepubertal children (age 7-9 years; n = 126), classified as non-overweight (<85th percentile body mass index [BMI]-for-age [n = 73]) or overweight/obese (≥85th percentile BMI-for-age [n = 53]), completed relational (hippocampal-dependent) and item (hippocampal-independent) memory tasks. Performance was assessed with both direct (behavioral accuracy) and indirect (preferential disproportionate viewing [PDV]) measures. Adiposity (ie, percent whole-body fat mass, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and total abdominal adipose tissue) was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Backward regression identified significant (P < .05) predictive models of memory performance. Covariates included age, sex, pubertal timing, socioeconomic status (SES), IQ, oxygen consumption, and BMI z-score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among overweight/obese children, total abdominal adipose tissue was a significant negative predictor of relational memory behavioral accuracy, and pubertal timing together with SES jointly predicted the PDV measure of relational memory. In contrast, among non-overweight children, male sex predicted item memory behavioral accuracy, and a model consisting of SES and BMI z-score jointly predicted the PDV measure of relational memory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regional, but not whole-body, fat deposition was selectively and negatively associated with hippocampal-dependent relational memory among overweight/obese prepubertal children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL. Electronic address: nakhan2@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Naiman A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Baym
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Jim M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Raine
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Drollette
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Scudder
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: R Davis
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Arthur F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hillman
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
authors.forename: Neal J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*