Neurocognitive rsfMRI Network Connectivity changes after Bariatric Surgery

Poster Session A - Saturday, April 13, 2024, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Hugo Sandoval¹ (hugo.sandoval@ttuhsc.edu), Thomas O'Neill¹, Benjamin Clapp², Deborah Clegg³, Taylor Gullet¹; ¹TTUHSC El Paso Radiology Department, ²TTUHSC El Paso Department of Surgery, ³TTUHSC El Paso Vice President for Research

Obesity is one of the most significant health concerns of the twenty-first century. Lowered neurocognitive performance in obesity has been reported to affect planning, decision making, self-control and regulation, executive function and processing speed. One of the most efficacious mechanisms to reduce body weight is the sleeve gastrectomy. The aim of this study is to analyze the postoperative cognitive, behavioral and anatomical changes 6 months after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in Hispanic females (HF). Eyes open resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and an anatomical scan were acquired using a 3 T Siemens-Skyra scanner. rs-fMRI data analysis was performed in BrainForge. The resulting ICA components were entered into MANCOVAN software to perform comparisons between 'pre' and 'post' scanning sessions via a paired t test. Power of Food Scale were administered prior and 6 months following the gastric sleeve surgery. There were changes in brain connectivity in Hispanic females 6 months following the SG. Significant changes notable between the subcortical network and the cognitive control networks, areas of the brain known to regulate behaviors associated with food intake and feelings regarding fullness. These changes in connectivity were correlated with changes in response to the Power of Food scale where subjects reported reductions in concerns associated with body weight and reductions in the sensation of 'guilt' associated with eating. Our results indicate SG in Hispanic females creates measurable changes in connectivity following bariatric surgery in areas that are associated with self-referential processing and executive control which supports the reversibility of obesity-related neurocognitive detriment.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Other