Abstract
Obesity is associated with reduced cortical thickness and brain volume, which may be related to poor nutrition. Given that brain atrophy in anorexia nervosa recovers with nutritional improvements and weight gain, it is worth examining how brain structure changes at the other end of the weight spectrum with weight loss. Thus, this study aimed to examine change in cortical thickness and brain volume in 47 patients with severe obesity who participated in no treatment, behavioral weight loss, or bariatric surgery. T1-weighted MRI scans were conducted pre-treatment and approximately four months later. Measures of cortical thickness, gray matter volume, and white matter volume were compared between time points. Despite overall reduction in BMI, there was no significant change in cortical thickness. There was a significant increase in left hemisphere gray matter and white matter volumes across the sample. At baseline and follow-up, there was no relationship between cortical thickness or brain volumes and BMI. This study is the first to examine changes in cortical thickness and brain volume with weight loss in adults with obesity and the findings show partial support for the hypotheses that weight loss results in increased cortical gray and white matter.
Highlights
Obesity has become a major health concern affecting about onethird of the population (Flegal et al, 2016)
There was a main effect of time on left hemisphere gray matter volume (F(1,43) = 24.92, p < .001, partial etasquared = 0.37) with an increase in left hemisphere gray matter over time
Despite significant reductions in body mass index (BMI), most notably in the group receiving bariatric surgery, there was no significant change in cortical thickness over time in the sample
Summary
Obesity has become a major health concern affecting about onethird of the population (Flegal et al, 2016). Studies show reduced gray matter volume (Gunstad et al, 2008; Pannacciulli et al, 2006; Raji et al, 2010; Yokum et al, 2012) and reduced cortical thickness in individuals with obesity compared to those of normal weight (MarquésIturria et al, 2013). Eating in excess of daily energy requirements is a primary factor in weight gain (Tataranni, 2000). This excess may result from overall increased intake of food or increased intake of calories via greater proportion of high energy-dense foods, changing the balance of nutrient intake (Xanthakos, 2009). Overnutrition and overweight status can have direct and indirect effects on brain structure and function (Conklin et al, 2007; Eyles et al, 2003)
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