Effect of oxidative stress on cognitive functions in children with obesity

Year 2024, Volume: 10 Issue: 5, 482 - 489, 04.09.2024

Samet Özer , İlknur Bütün , Hasan Bozkurt

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1476645

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the oxidative stress induced by obesity and metabolic changes in the cognitive functions of obese children.

Methods: Thirty-three obese children and adolescents (age: 8-18); and 33 healthy children similar in terms of age and gender were enrolled. Children were diagnosed with obesity according to the Turkish children's body mass index (BMI) curves. Patients over the 95th percentile in terms of Turkish children's BMI curves considering their genders and age were called obese children. Obese children were excluded whose obesity was related to any syndrome or disease. Neurocognitive functions including the Visual Memory Test, Finger Tapping Test, Memory Test, Symbol Digit Coding, Stroop Test, Continuous Performance Test, and Shifting Attention Test were evaluated with the battery tests of Central Nervous System Vital Signs (CNSVS) via computer. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) were analyzed to determine the oxidative stress. After 10 hours overnight fast, blood samples were collected to determine Fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase by using methods.

Results: MDA and PC levels in obese children were founs significantly higher (0.78±0.16 µmol/L;198.30±84.45 nmol/mL) than the controls (0.5±0.10 µmol/L; 125.35±43.52 nmol/mL) (P<0.001). All of the cognitive performance domains were statistically significantly different between the study and control groups. A statistically significant correlation was found between neurocognitive indexes and MDA and PC levels.

Conclusions: Obese children's cognitive functions must be evaluated. Elevated oxidative stress may be the reason for the bad cognitive performance in children with obesity. However, this cognitive performance study in obese children should be supported with large study groups.

Keywords

Oxidative strees, cognition, obesity, children

References

• 1. Bessesen DH. Update on obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008;93(6):2027-2034. doi: 10.1210/jc.2008-0520.
• 2. Daniels SR, Arnett DK, Eckel RH, et al. Overweight in children and adolescents: pathophysiology, consequences, prevention and treatment. Circulation. 2005;111(15):1999-2012. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000161369.71722.10.
• 3. Khan NA, Raine LB, Donovan SM, Hillman CH. IV. The cognitive implications of obesity and nutrition in childhood. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 2014;79(4):51-71. doi: 10.1111/mono.12130.
• 4. Galván M, Uauy R, López-Rodríguez G, Kain J. Association between childhood obesity, cognitive development, physical fitness and social-emotional wellbeing in a transitional economy. Ann Hum Biol. 2014;41(2):99-104. doi: 10.3109/03014460.2013.841288.
• 5. Radak Z, Kumagai S, Taylor AW, Naito H, Goto S. Effects of exercise on brain function: role of free radicals. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2007;32(5):942-946. doi: 10.1139/H07-081.
• 6. Del Rio D, Stewart AJ, Pellegrini N. A review of recent studies on malondialdehyde as toxic molecule and biological marker of oxidative stress. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2005;15(4):316-328. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2005.05.003. PMID: 16054557.
• 7. Gallardo JM, Gómez-López J, Medina-Bravo P, et al. Maternal obesity increases oxidative stress in the newborn. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015;23(8):1650-1654. doi: 10.1002/oby.21159.
• 8. Matusik P, Prokopowicz Z, Norek B, Olszanecka-Glinianowicz M, Chudek J, Malecka-Tendera E. Oxidative/Antioxidative status in obese and sport trained children: a comparative study. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:315747. doi: 10.1155/2015/315747.
• 9. Furukawa S, Fujita T, Shimabukuro M, et al. Increased oxidative stress in obesity and its impact on metabolic syndrome. J Clin Invest. 2004;114(12):1752-1761. doi: 10.1172/JCI21625.
• 10. Albuali WH. Evaluation of oxidant-antioxidant status in overweight and morbidly obese Saudi children. World J Clin Pediatr. 2014;3(1):6-13. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v3.i1.6.
• 11. Codoñer-Franch P, Valls-Bellés V, Arilla-Codoñer A, Alonso-Iglesias E. Oxidant mechanisms in childhood obesity: the link between inflammation and oxidative stress. Transl Res. 2011;158(6):369-384. doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2011.08.004.
• 12. Barutcu A, Ornek C, Kozanoglu E. A growing problem in childhood and adolescence: Metabolic syndrome and its relationship with physical activity and fitness. Marmara Med J. 2023;36(2):255-261. doi:10.5472/marumj.
• 13. Belviranlı M, Okudan N. The effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on cognitive functions in aged female rats: the role of oxidative stress and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Behav Brain Res. 2015;278:453-461. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.10.032.
• 14. Neyzi O, Bundak R, Gökçay G, et al. Reference Values for Weight, Height, Head Circumference and Body Mass Index in Turkish Children. J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2015;7(4):280-293. doi: 10.4274/jcrpe.2183.
• 15. Esterbauer H, Cheeseman KH. Determination of aldehydic lipid peroxidation products: malonaldehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal. Methods Enzymol. 1990;186:407-421. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(90)86134-h.
• 16. Ozyurt H, Ozyurt B, Sarsilmaz M, Kus I, Songur A, Akyol O. Potential role of some oxidant/antioxidant status parameters in prefrontal cortex of rat brain in an experimental psychosis model and the protective effects of melatonin. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2014;18(15):2137-2144.
• 17. Gualtieri CT, Johnson LG. Reliability and validity of a computerized neurocognitive test battery, CNS Vital Signs. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2006;21(7):623-643. doi: 10.1016/j.acn.2006.05.007.
• 18. Brooks BL, Sherman EM. Computerized neuropsychological testing to rapidly evaluate cognition in pediatric patients with neurologic disorders. J Child Neurol. 2012;27(8):982-991. doi: 10.1177/0883073811430863.
• 19. Bove RM, Brick DJ, Healy BC, et al. Metabolic and endocrine correlates of cognitive function in healthy young women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21(7):1343-1349. doi: 10.1002/oby.20212.
• 20. Ehrenstein V, Münster AM, Milstein A, Adler NE, Sørensen HT. Body mass index and cognitive function: birth cohort effects in young men. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015;23(5):931-934. doi: 10.1002/oby.21088.
• 21. Fergenbaum JH, Bruce S, Lou W, Hanley AJ, Greenwood C, Young TK. Obesity and lowered cognitive performance in a Canadian First Nations population. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(10):1957-1963. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.161.
• 22. Baierle M, Nascimento SN, Moro AM, et al. Relationship between inflammation and oxidative stress and cognitive decline in the institutionalized elderly. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2015;2015:804198. doi: 10.1155/2015/804198.
• 23. Stanek KM, Grieve SM, Brickman AM, et al. Obesity is associated with reduced white matter integrity in otherwise healthy adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;19(3):500-504. doi: 10.1038/oby.2010.312.
• 24. Driscoll I, Espeland MA, Wassertheil-Smoller S, et al; Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging. Weight change and cognitive function: findings from the Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;19(8):1595-1600. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.23.
• 25. Frazier-Wood AC, Carnell S, Pena O, et al. Cognitive performance and BMI in childhood: Shared genetic influences between reaction time but not response inhibition. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014;22(11):2312-2318. doi: 10.1002/oby.20862.
• 26. Kamijo K, Khan NA, Pontifex MB, et al. The relation of adiposity to cognitive control and scholastic achievement in preadolescent children. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20(12):2406-2411. doi: 10.1038/oby.2012.112.
• 27. Li Y, Dai Q, Jackson JC, Zhang J. Overweight is associated with decreased cognitive functioning among school-age children and adolescents. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(8):1809-1815. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.296.
• 28. Martin A, Booth JN, Young D, et al. Associations between obesity and cognition in the pre-school years. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016;24(1):207-214. doi: 10.1002/oby.21329.
• 29. Yin H, Xu L, Porter NA. Free radical lipid peroxidation: mechanisms and analysis. Chem Rev. 2011;111(10):5944-5972. doi: 10.1021/cr200084z.
• 30. Zhou S, Yu G, Chi L, et al. Neuroprotective effects of edaravone on cognitive deficit, oxidative stress and tau hyperphosphorylation induced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin in rats. Neurotoxicology. 2013;38:136-145. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2013.07.007.
• 31. Ansari MA, Scheff SW. Oxidative stress in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in the frontal cortex. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2010;69(2):155-167. doi: 10.1097/NEN.0b013e3181cb5af4.
• 32. Agarwal R, Talwar P, Kushwaha SS, Tripathi CB, Kukreti R. Effect of apolipoprotein E (APO E) polymorphism on leptin in Alzheimer's disease. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2015;18(3):320-326. doi: 10.4103/0972-2327.157255.
• 33. Chen X, Hui L, Geiger JD. Role of LDL cholesterol and endolysosomes in amyloidogenesis and Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurophysiol. 2014;5(5):236. doi: 10.4172/2155-9562.1000236.
• 34. Harrison SL, Stephan BC, Siervo M, et al. Is there an association between metabolic syndrome and cognitive function in very old adults? The Newcastle 85+ Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015;63(4):667-675. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13358.
• 35. Goh DA, Dong Y, Lee WY, et al. A pilot study to examine the correlation between cognition and blood biomarkers in a Singapore Chinese male cohort with type 2 diabetes mellitus. PLoS One. 2014;9(5):e96874. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096874.
• 36. Song IU, Chung SW, Kim YD, Maeng LS. Relationship between the hs-CRP as non-specific biomarker and Alzheimer's disease according to aging process. Int J Med Sci. 2015;12(8):613-617. doi: 10.7150/ijms.12742.