Executive Functions in Patients with Obesity: Impact of Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is associated with various kinds of cognitive impairments among which executive dysfunctions are very prominent. Alternatively, weight reduction through structured program is known to improve cognitive functions. Bariatric surgery is reported to improve cognitive functions. But no studies are in Indian context in this regard. Therefore, this preliminary study examined the impact of bariatric surgery on executive functions in Indian setting. Twenty patients with morbid obesity who opted for bariatric surgery and 20 patients with morbid obesity who were advised but did not opt for bariatric surgery were recruited through convenient sampling. Both groups were matched for age, gender, years of education and comorbid conditions. Each participant was individually assessed with Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST), Digit Span Test (DST) and Comprehensive Trail Making Test (TMT) both at baseline and again after 40 days from the initial assessment. At baseline, a large number of participants from both the groups showed abnormal executive functioning. But after the intervention period, significant improvement was noted on all the selected cognitive variables. Weight reduction due to bariatric surgery will have positive impact on executive functions. The findings have implications for neurocognitive evaluations in pre-surgery and post-Surgery conditions.