Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318920
Title: Cognitive performance and BMI in childhood: Shared genetic influences between reaction time but not response inhibition

Author
item FRAZIER-WOOD, ALEXIS - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item CARNELL, SUSAN - Johns Hopkins University
item PENA, OSCAR - University Of Texas Health Science Center
item HUGHES, SHERYL - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item O'CONNER, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item ASHERSON, PHILIP - King'S College
item KUNTSI, JONNA - King'S College

Submitted to: Obesity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2014
Publication Date: 11/5/2014
Citation: Frazier-Wood, A.C., Carnell, S., Pena, O., Hughes, S.O., O'Conner, T.M., Asherson, P., Kuntsi, J. 2014. Cognitive performance and BMI in childhood: Shared genetic influences between reaction time but not response inhibition. Obesity. 22(11):2312-2318.

Interpretive Summary: Obesity now affects 20% of the US child/adolescent population, and is associated poorer academic achievement, suggesting that obesity affects cognitive development, as well as physical health. Cognitive changes associated with obesity may partially explain the reason why obese children achieve less academically at school. This study focusses on three specific cognitive performance with measures of performance cognition that have been associated with BMI, but it is not known why this is the case. This study aimed to understand whether shared genetic influences between the three cognitive measures and BMI can explain their association. We found that genetic correlations indicated that 20-30% of the genes underlying BMI were shared with both reaction time measures. These results are the first to demonstrate significant shared genetic effects between reaction time and BMI. Our findings add biological support to the notion that obesity is associated with slower and more variable reaction times.

Technical Abstract: The aim of this work is to understand whether shared genetic influences can explain the associationbetween obesity and cognitive performance, including slower and more variable reaction times(RTs) and worse response inhibition. RT on a four-choice RT task and the go/no-go task, and commission errors on the go/no-gotask for 1,312 twins ages 7-10 years were measured. BMI was measured at 9-12 years. Biometric twinmodels were run to give an estimate of the genetic correlation (rG) between body mass index (BMI) and three cognitive measures: mean RT (MRT), RT variability (RTV; the standard deviation of RTs), and commission errors (a measure of response inhibition). Genetic correlations indicated that 20%-30% of the genes underlying BMI were shared with both RT measures. However, only small phenotypic correlations between MRT and RTV with later BMI (rPh5=~0.1) were observed. Commission errors were unassociated with later BMI (rPh=~.03, ns).Our results are the first to demonstrate significant shared genetic effects between RT performanceand BMI. Our findings add biological support to the notion that obesity is associated withslower and more variable RTs. However, our results also emphasize the small nature of the association,which may explain previous negative findings.