Performance in neurocognitive tasks in obese patients. Does somatic comorbidity matter?
Wibke Kiunke1, Christina Brandl, Ekaterini Georgiadou
1Schoen Clinic Bad Bramstedt , Bad Bramstedt , Germany.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|August 22, 2013
Summary
Obese individuals with obesity-related health issues performed worse on memory and mental flexibility tasks. However, these cognitive differences were linked to age, not the somatic disorders themselves.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Obesity Research
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Obesity is frequently associated with somatic comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnea.
- The impact of these comorbidities on neurocognitive functioning in obese individuals requires further investigation.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for comprehensive obesity management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether obese individuals with obesity-related somatic comorbidities exhibit poorer neurocognitive performance compared to those without such conditions.
- To assess performance across various neurocognitive domains including memory, attention, and executive functions.
- To explore the influence of comorbidities on cognitive function in a sample with high prevalence of severe obesity.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 146 patients with obesity (grades 1-3) was assessed.
- Neurocognitive functioning was evaluated using a computerized test battery (e.g., Corsi Block Tapping, Auditory Word Learning, Trail Making Test-Part B, Stroop Test, Labyrinth Test, Tower of Hanoi).
- Participants were categorized into groups based on the presence (Soma(+)) or absence (Soma(-)) of obesity-related somatic disorders.
Main Results:
- The group without somatic disorders (Soma(-)) was younger and more often female than the group with disorders (Soma(+)).
- The Soma(-) group demonstrated superior performance in cognitive tasks assessing memory and mental flexibility.
- These cognitive performance differences between groups were fully explained by age, disappearing after statistical control for age.
Conclusions:
- Age appears to be a significant confounding factor in the relationship between somatic comorbidities and cognitive function in obesity.
- While obese individuals with comorbidities may show poorer cognitive performance, this is likely mediated by age-related changes.
- Future research should carefully control for age when examining cognitive deficits in obese populations with comorbidities.
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