Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 10 december 2019
Brain differences may be tied to obesity, kids’ study says

By LINDSEY TANNER weight and Mackey said
AP Medical Writer it’s likely other factors not
New results from the larg- measured in the study in-
est long-term study of cluding physical activity
brain development and and healthy nutrition play
children’s health raise pro- a far greater role.
vocative questions about Research in adults has
obesity and brain function. linked obesity with low-lev-
Does excess body weight el inflammation throughout
somehow reduce brain the body that can dam-
regions that regulate plan- age blood vessels and
ning and impulse control? may increase risks for heart
Is obesity a result of that disease and mental de-
brain difference? Or are cline. Some studies have
eating habits, lifestyle, fam- also found less brain vol-
ily circumstances and ge- ume in obese adults and
netics to blame? researchers theorize that it
Previous studies in children could be from inflamma-
and adults have had con- tion.
flicting results. The new re- The new study raises the
search doesn’t settle the possibility that inflamma-
matter and outside experts In this July 23, 2009 file photo, children are silhouetted by the setting sun as they ride a swing ride tory changes affecting
cautioned that misinter- during the Canyon County Fair in Caldwell, Idaho. weight, brain structure and
preting it could unfairly Associated Press function might begin in
perpetuate weight stigma. childhood.
But an editorial published national statistics. handle multiple tasks simul- executive function. But The latest research con-
with the study Monday in Researchers found differ- taneously. Mackey and lead author firms previous studies in
JAMA Pediatrics called it ences in the heaviest chil- The differences compared Jennifer Laurent, a Univer- children and adults, but
an important addition to dren’s brain scans, slightly with normal-weight kids sity of Vermont obesity re- it leaves many questions
mounting evidence of a less volume in the brain were subtle, said study au- searcher, said it’s unknown unanswered, said Marci
link between weight, brain region behind the fore- thor Scott Mackey, a neu- whether any of the differ- Gluck, a research psy-
structure and mental func- head that controls what roscientist at the University ences had any meaningful chologist at the National
tion. are known as “executive of Vermont. effect on children’s aca- Institute of Diabetes and
If follow-up research con- function” tasks. They in- The heaviest kids also had demic functioning or be- Digestive and Kidney Dis-
firms the findings, it could clude things like ability to slightly worse scores on havior. It’s unclear exactly eases, who was not part of
lead to new ways to pre- plan, control impulses and computer-based tests of how they are related to the research. q
vent obesity that target im-
proved brain function.
“We don’t know which di- SpaceX delivers ‘mighty mice,’
rection these relationships
go nor do they suggest worms, robot to space station
that people with obesity
are not as smart as people
at a healthy weight,”said By MARCIA DUNN It marks the third visit for this Cimon, it’s an improved
AP Aerospace Writer
version of what flew up
recycled Dragon.
Dr. Eliana Perrin, a Duke
University pediatrics profes- CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Flight controllers quickly se- last year to be tested as
an astronaut’s helper.
(AP) — SpaceX made an
cured the capsule to the
sor who co-wrote the edi-
torial. early holiday delivery to orbiting lab, paving the NASA has tucked some
Christmas presents in the
way for the hatch to open
the International Space
The federally-funded study
involved 3,190 U.S. children Station on Sunday, bring- and the unloading to be- shipment for the station’s
ing muscle-bound “mighty
gin.
six-person crew, as well.
aged 9 and 10. They had
height and weight mea- mice,” pest-killing worms The capsule holds 3 tons It’s SpaceX’s 19th delivery
(2,720 kilograms) of sup-
to the orbiting outpost for
and a smart, empathetic
surements, MRI brain scans
and computer-based tests robot. plies, including 40 mice for NASA over the past seven
years.
a muscle and bone experi-
The station commander,
of mental function includ- In this image provided by
ing memory, language, NASA, the SpaceX Dragon Italy’s Luca Parmitano, ment. Eight of them are ge- The astronauts have an-
shipment
netically engineered with
used a large robot arm
com-
other
reasoning and impulse capsule arrives at the
control. Nearly 1,000 kids — International Space Station, to grab onto the Dragon twice the normal muscle ing Monday — this one
three days after its launch
launched by Russia from
mass — and so are consid-
almost 1 in 3 — were over- Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019.
weight or obese, similar to Associated Press from Cape Canaveral. The ered “mighty mice.”’ Kazakhstan on Friday.q
two spacecraft soared There also are 120,000
260 miles (420 kilometers) roundworms, or nema-
above the South Pacific at todes of a beneficial va-
the time of capture. riety that are part of an
“Whenever we welcome agricultural study aimed at
a new vehicle on board, controlling pests here on
we take on board also a Earth.
little bit of the soul of ev- The capsule also has a
erybody that contributed large, round robot head
to the project, so welcome with artificial intelligence
on board,” Parmitano told and the ability to sense as-
Mission Control. tronauts’ emotions. Named