The Relationship between Adipose Tissue and Executive Functioning in Adolescents and Young Adults

Currently, 36% of young adults and 21% of adolescents are affected by obesity. Previous studies have shown that larger volumes of visceral fat (VF) are associated with lower executive functioning (EF) in adolescents, and subcutaneous fat (SCF) greatly affects cognitive health. The current study predicted that higher levels of VF and SCF would be associated with worse performance on EF measures. Seventy-four adolescents and young adults aged 18-26 (M=21) who were predominantly male (62%) and caucasian (65%) participated in the study. After three weeks of abstinence, participants completed a neuropsychological battery, consisting of the CPT-??, D-KEFS, and CVLT-??, measuring working memory, processing speed, and inhibition, and an abdominal MRI scan to measure VF and SCF levels. Linear models were run looking at how visceral and subcutaneous fat percentiles predict EF performance while controlling for past year alcohol use. Results indicated that visceral and subcutaneous fat were not predictive of EF performance. Trends of lower subcutaneous fat was associated with better psychomotor speed, cognitive control, and working memory, and higher subcutaneous fat was associated with better selective attention. The current study examined the relationship VF and SCF had on executive functioning, while controlling for alcohol use. Contrary to previous literature, our findings show that neither VF or SCF are associated with worse performance on EF measures. Previous literature found that increased VF was related to worse performance on executive functioning tasks. However, substance use and other confounding variables were not accounted for in the studies, which could be driving these effects. Future longitudinal studies are necessary to provide a casual relationship between adipose tissue and executive functioning. . In conclusion, different types of fat do not have an effect on cognition