Initial evidence for hypothalamic gliosis in children with obesity by quantitative T2 MRI and implications for blood oxygen‐level dependent response to glucose ingestion

Abstract

Imaging signs of hypothalamic gliosis were present in children with obesity and positively associated with more severe adiposity. Children with the strongest evidence for gliosis showed the least activation after glucose ingestion. These initial findings suggest that the hypothalamus is both structurally and functionally affected in childhood obesity.