Clinical trial NCT03116334: Genetic Influences Between Cognitive Function and BMI
Official title: Shared Genetic Influences Between Cognitive Function and Body Mass Index (BMI) in the Texas Twin Project
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Obesity
Keywords: Obesity
BMI
executive functioning
general cognitive ability
twin study
heritability
cognition
GCTA
Lead sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-04-17
Enrollment: 869
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 7
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Individuals from the Texas twin Project dataset, who were twins and higher-order multiples previously recruited from the Houston and Austin Metropolitan areas, via flyers, the internet (study website) and contact through public school rosters

Brief summary: In this study the investigators will interrogate an existing data set to examine whether genetic variants contribute to an inverse association between weight status and cognitive function. Investigators hypothesize that body mass index (BMI) will be inversely related to a number of variables measuring cognitive function, and that that this inverse relation will be at least partially attributable to genetic variants which influence both BMI and cognition.

Detailed description: Investigators will use existing data collected as part of the Texas Twin Project (TTP). TTP collected neuropsychological task data on cognition (executive functioning and general cognitive abilities) from a computerized test battery, as well as BMI data, on a sample of 869 twins. Investigators will use information from the known extent of genetic and environmental sharing between members of MZ (monozygotic; identical) and DZ (dizygotic; fraternal) twin pairs to quantify the genetic correlation between measures of cognition and BMI using biometric genetic modeling under the assumptions of the classical twin model. The specific aims are:

* To examine the association between BMI and executive functioning (EF) in a sample of 869 twin children, ages 7 to 15 years old, who participated in the Texas Twin Project (TTP)
* To gauge the specificity of EF-BMI relations relative to academic achievement and general cognitive abilities.
* To examine the relative contribution of genetic and environment influences to the inverse association between BMI and EF

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

All participants in the TTP database with executive functioning and BMI data, without a parent-reported medical disorder affecting growth

Exclusion Criteria:

Parent-reported medical disorder affecting growth More than one sibling in the dataset (if triplets are present, only two randomly selecting siblings will be included).

Primary outcomes:
measure: Executive functioning
timeFrame: 2 hours
measure: Body mass index
timeFrame: 10 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
measure: General Cognitive Ability
timeFrame: 1 hour
measure: Academic Achievement
timeFrame: 30 minutes
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: Children's Nutrition Research Center
state: Texas
Study officials:
References: