BRown Fat Activity Measurement With Infrared imaginG tHermography andThermogenesis - the BRIGHT Study

Overview

The whole body calorimeter is sensitive enough to reliably measure cold-induced thermogenesis as a surrogate marker of brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation. The infrared (IR) energy flux from activated BAT can be accurately imaged and quantified using an IR imaging device, and that this IR energy output may be correlated to the increased energy expenditure quantified by the whole body calorimeter.

The recent rediscovery of functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in healthy adults has opened up the exciting possibility of manipulating BAT for obesity management, and it is imperative to develop BAT imaging modalities that are non-invasive and safe for repeated use. Given that heat is a specific end-product of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1)-mediated BAT, this study examines whether surface body temperature assessed using infrared (IR) thermography can be a non-invasive measure to accurately and precisely predict brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation upon cold stimulation, which involves verifying an semi-automated method for characterizing thermal images. In addition, this study also aims to validate the use of a whole-body calorimeter to pick up changes in energy expenditure upon cold-induced thermogenesis. Lean, healthy male volunteers will be recruited. Thermal imaging of cervical-supraclavicular BAT will be done using an IR camera to assess changes in BAT activation. Blood samples will also be drawn at regular intervals to track changes in serum metabolites upon BAT activation. All in all, this study hopes to provide more supporting evidence that IR thermography is a viable imaging modality that is non-invasive, safe and reproducible of studying BAT activity.