Infant Subcortical Brain Volumes Associated with Maternal Obesity and Diabetes: A Large Multicohort Study

This study aims to investigate how sex modulates the influence of intrauterine exposure to maternal diabetes (MD) and maternal obesity (MO) on infant subcortical brain volumes. We observed sex-specific associations of gestational exposure to MD or MO with infant brain volumes in regions critical for motivation, emotion, and signal integration. In female offspring, MD and MO were negatively and independently associated with thalamic volume, while MO was negatively associated with hippocampal volume. In males, combined exposure to MD and MO was associated with lower thalamic volume. Sex modulates the influence of prenatal exposure to MD and/or MO on early brain development. This has implications for future metabolic disorders, among other health risks.