title: Mild cognitive impairment is prevalent in persons with severe obesity.
abstract: This study examines the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a sample of adults with severe obesity and whether undergoing bariatric surgery reduces the frequency of MCI.
  
  
  
  A total of 171 participants with severe obesity (mean age = 43.07 ± 11.21) completed computerized cognitive testing. A subset of participants underwent bariatric surgery as part of the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery project. MCI was operationalized using commonly used criteria to establish prevalence in the overall sample and to examine possible changes after bariatric surgery.
  
  
  
  More than half of the overall sample met criteria for MCI at baseline (53.8%), and MCI was prevalent even in young and middle-aged adults with severe obesity. Within the subset of participants who underwent bariatric surgery, the prevalence of MCI was reduced by 48.9% at 12-month follow-up (from 53.4% to 27.3%).
  
  
  
  Findings suggest that many individuals with severe obesity meet criteria for MCI and that prevalence rates decline after bariatric surgery. A better understanding of the mechanisms linking severe obesity to adverse neurological outcomes is much needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Amber D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Rochette
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Spitznagel
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Strain
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.|Department of Neuroscience, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
authors.forename: Ross D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.|Department of Neuroscience, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Courcoulas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunstad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012307:Risk Factors