ESPE Abstracts

Background/Objective: Energy balance is preserved through the exchange between body weight and adipose tissue across the multi-faceted complex network that is composed of the sensorial, metabolic, and neuroendocrine circuits. Olfactory control of the process is maintained through the central structures that include the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, together with the interplay between the olfactory bulbus (OB) and adipose tissue. Although the interaction of the body mass index (BMI) with olfactory functions has been studied very well, there is no clear information about its relationship with OB volume (OBV). This study focuses on the relationship between OBV and BMI.

Methods: The children (n=184) were categorized according to their BMI percentiles with the groups being normal weight (n=89), overweight (n=26), children with obesity (n=26) and children with severely obesity (n=43). The OBV of all the children were calculated using magnetic resonance image.

Results: The means of the OBV were higher in children with a high body mass index (BMI) those with a normal weight. The OBV increased in overweight and children with obesity groups (59.49±13.44-70.65±13.62) but decreased in children with severely obesity (59.80±17.28). In overweight and children with obesity groups, a weak positive correlation between the BMI and OBV were detected (r₂₆=0.302-r₂₆=0.288), while in children with severely obesity group, a moderate negative correlation was detected (r₄₃=-0.425).

Conclusion: This study revealed that the there is a positive, albeit weak, correlation between OBV and BMI in children with overweight and obese, but the correlation, albeit moderate, inversed in the children with severely obesity. This finding may indicate interdependent variability between OBV and BMI.