Association of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference With Imaging Metrics of Brain Integrity and Functional Connectivity in Children Aged 9 to 10 Years in the US, 2016-2018.

In this cross-sectional study, higher BMI and waist circumference among children aged 9 to 10 years were associated with imaging metrics of poorer brain structure and connectivity as well as hindered interval development. Future follow-up data from the ABCD study can reveal long-term neurocognitive implications of excess childhood weight. Imaging metrics that had the strongest association with BMI and waist circumference in this population-level analysis may serve as target biomarkers of brain integrity in future treatment trials of childhood obesity.