Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index is associated with newborn offspring hypothalamic mean diffusivity: a prospective dual-cohort study.

These findings translate the preclinically established association between maternal obesity during pregnancy and offspring hypothalamic microstructure to the human context. In addition to further replication/generalization, future efforts to identify biological mediators of the association between maternal obesity and fetal HTH development are warranted to develop targeted strategies for the primary prevention of childhood obesity.