Abdominal obesity is associated with impaired cognitive function in euthymic bipolar individuals
N Lackner1, S A Bengesser1, A Birner1
1a Department of Psychiatry , Medical University Graz , Graz , Austria.
Summary
Overweight and obesity are linked to poorer cognitive function in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD). Body fat distribution significantly impacts cognitive performance, particularly in verbal memory and executive functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Overweight and obesity are increasingly recognized as potential contributors to cognitive impairments in bipolar disorder (BD).
- Understanding the specific relationship between body fat distribution and cognitive function in BD during euthymia is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between body fat distribution and cognitive performance across various domains in euthymic individuals with bipolar disorder.
- To compare cognitive function and body composition between individuals with BD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 100 euthymic individuals with BD and 64 healthy controls underwent comprehensive cognitive testing (e.g., TM-A/B, d2 Attention, Stroop, CVLT).
- Anthropometric measures including BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and lipometry were collected.
Main Results:
- Overweight individuals with BD showed diminished performance on the Trail Making Test (TMT-A/B) and California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) free recall compared to normal-weight BD patients and controls.
- Abdominal obesity was significantly correlated with poorer cognitive performance in the BD group.
- Specific associations were observed: verbal learning/memory deficits in females and impaired TMT-A/B and Stroop interference in males with BD.
Conclusions:
- Body fat distribution, particularly abdominal obesity, significantly mediates cognitive function in individuals with bipolar disorder.
- These findings suggest distinct impacts of obesity on cognitive domains in males and females with BD, highlighting the importance of body composition in managing cognitive health in this population.
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