Relationship between Overweight/Obesity and Social Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder Children: Mediating Effect of Gray Matter Volume

• DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020180
• Publication Date: 2023-01-23T07:01:02Z
• Authors: Wei Cheng; Zhiyuan Sun; Kelong Cai; Jingjing Wu; Xiaoxiao Dong; Zhimei Liu; Yifan Shi; Sixin Yang; Weike Zhang; Aiguo Chen
• Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; mediating effect; Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry; overweight/obesity; social communication; Article; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; gray matter volume; 10. No inequality; RC321-571

With advances in medical diagnostic technology, the healthy development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is receiving more and attention. In this article, mediating effect brain gray matter volume (GMV) between overweight/obesity social communication (SC) was investigated through analysis relationship SC children. total, 101 ASD aged 3–12 years were recruited from three special educational centers (Yangzhou, China). Overweight/obesity indicated by their body mass index (BMI); Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) used to assess interaction ability, structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) measure GMV. A mediation model constructed using Process plug-in analyze GMV ASD. The results revealed that: positively correlated SRS-2 total points (p = 0.01); left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (Frontal_Sup_L GMV) negatively 0.001); Frontal_Sup_L 0.001). played a partial role SC, accounting for 36.6% values. These findings indicate significant positive correlation SC; plays SC. study may provide new evidence toward comprehensively revealing relationship.