This application proposes to add a neuroimaging arm to an NIH funded 12-month diet and physical activity intervention. Obesity is currently at epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting over 1/3rd of American adults. Impaired cognitive and brain function - manifested as mood disorders, impulsivity, and an increased risk for neurological pathology - are often unrecognized consequences of obesity. These consequences are especially unsettling in view of the increased prevalence of obesity during childhood and adolescence, when the education, intellectual growth, and the preparation for future career seeking are at its peak. Hence, it is a public health imperative to rigorously investigate the effects of obesity on neurocognitive functions and to explore the potential for weight loss to restore cognitive and brain function. The parent study has three groups: diet only (DIET), diet + moderate physical activity (MOD-PA), diet + high physical activity (HIGH-PA) and will be collecting a myriad of outcome measures including aortic pulse wave velocity, inflammatory markers, glucose and insulin, abdominal adiposity and body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, cardiorespiratory fitness using a graded exercise test, accelerometry measured physical activity, and energy intake. In addition to the subjects collected in the parent study we will collect a group of no-contact control (CON) participants for both reliability and comparison purposes. Therefore, by adding brain imaging to this intervention, our proposal reflects a cost effective and innovative approach to investigate links between physical activity, weight loss, brain integrity, metabolic outcomes, and cognitive processing and offers an opportunity to collect data on brain health with minimal additional costs. Testing these links could transform the way that brain-body associations are considered when assessing the risk for brain dysfunction or treating obesity related behavioral problems. Our main aims include:
Aim 1. To examine whether a 12-month physical activity and weight loss intervention on overweight and obese adults increases cortical volume and improves microstructural white matter integrity, Aim 2: Examine how increased physical activity and weight loss can change the functional dynamics of the brain as assessed by both task-related neural responses, cerebral blood flow, and resting state brain connectivity, Aim 3. Link the changes in brain integrity, function, and connectivity with intervention-induced changes in physiological measures of metabolic and inflammatory molecular pathways. Our project represents the first attempt to associate weight loss in a long-term intervention to changes in brain networks. It is highly innovative, cost-effective, and will add significantly to the scientifc literature. By leveraging an existing NIH funded program and by focusing on neuroimaging outcomes with a skilled and productive team of experts in both weight loss interventions and cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques, we will be able to address unanswered questions that have important theoretical and translational implications for obesity and brain health.

Public Health Relevance

In this study, we are examining the capacity for a 12-month physical activity and weight loss intervention to enhance brain integrity in a sample of overweight and obese adults. Our project represents the first attempt to link weight loss in a long-term intervention to changes in brain networks.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK095172-02
Application #
8510639
Study Section
Clinical Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration Study Section (CNN)
Program Officer
Laughlin, Maren R
Project Start
2012-07-15
Project End
2017-06-30
Budget Start
2013-07-01
Budget End
2014-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$411,502
Indirect Cost
$141,664
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Smagula, Stephen F; Karim, Helmet T; Rangarajan, Anusha et al. (2018) Association of Hippocampal Substructure Resting-State Functional Connectivity with Memory Performance in Older Adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 26:690-699
Gujral, Swathi; Aizenstein, Howard; Reynolds 3rd, Charles F et al. (2017) Exercise effects on depression: Possible neural mechanisms. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 49:2-10
Oberlin, Lauren E; Waiwood, Aashna M; Cumming, Toby B et al. (2017) Effects of Physical Activity on Poststroke Cognitive Function: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Stroke 48:3093-3100
Gildengers, Ariel G; Butters, Meryl A; Albert, Steven M et al. (2016) Design and Implementation of an Intervention Development Study: Retaining Cognition While Avoiding Late-Life Depression (ReCALL). Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 24:444-54
Jackson, Philippa A; Pialoux, Vincent; Corbett, Dale et al. (2016) Promoting brain health through exercise and diet in older adults: a physiological perspective. J Physiol 594:4485-98
Oberlin, Lauren E; Verstynen, Timothy D; Burzynska, Agnieszka Z et al. (2016) White matter microstructure mediates the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and spatial working memory in older adults. Neuroimage 131:91-101
Oberlin, Lauren E; Manuck, Stephen B; Gianaros, Peter J et al. (2015) Blood pressure interacts with APOE ?4 to predict memory performance in a midlife sample. Neuropsychology 29:693-702
Erickson, Kirk I; Leckie, Regina L; Weinstein, Andrea M et al. (2015) Education mitigates age-related decline in N-Acetylaspartate levels. Brain Behav 5:e00311
Chaddock-Heyman, Laura; Erickson, Kirk I; Kienzler, Caitlin et al. (2015) The role of aerobic fitness in cortical thickness and mathematics achievement in preadolescent children. PLoS One 10:e0134115
Rofey, Dana L; Arslanian, Silva A; El Nokali, Nermeen E et al. (2015) Brain volume and white matter in youth with type 2 diabetes compared to obese and normal weight, non-diabetic peers: A pilot study. Int J Dev Neurosci 46:88-91

Showing the most recent 10 out of 30 publications