Brain Activity Mirrors Inflammation After Bariatric Surgery

TOPLINE:

In the first study of its kind, researchers identified specific brain regions linked to a transient surge in patients’ inflammatory profile after undergoing metabolic-bariatric surgery (MBS). 

METHODOLOGY:

• Recent studies have shown that MBS has durable and positive effects on brain health ; however, the mechanisms through which this occurs remain unclear.
• Researchers conducted a cohort study in patients undergoing first-time laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy to identify brain regions where spontaneous neural activity and functional connectivity correlated with post-MBS inflammatory profile.
• The inflammatory profile was analyzed by assessing the ratio of the pro- and inflammatory cytokines interleukin [IL]-6 and IL-10, respectively.
• Neural activity and functional connectivity was assessed across 375 regions in the brain, using resting-state functional MRI.
• Patients were evaluated at three timepoints: 1 week before MBS, 3 months post-MBS, and 12 months post-MBS.

TAKEAWAY:

• Researchers analyzed 36 patients (mean age, 41.05 years; 77.78% women).
• The IL-6/IL-10 ratio initially increased during the early postoperative period but declined to levels lower than preoperative values 1 year after surgery, with statistically significant differences between the timepoints.
• The intensity of spontaneous neural activity in four subcortical structures decreased with an increasing IL-6/IL-10 ratio, whereas the intensity in 16 cortical regions increased with an increasing ratio.
• Functional connectivity between the left insula and bilateral medial prefrontal cortex increased with an increasing IL-6/IL-10 ratio and decreased with a decreasing ratio.

IN PRACTICE:

“By identifying a link between the perioperative inflammatory profile and post-MBS brain function, our study may encourage researchers to investigate whether altering perioperative inflammation could enhance neurological outcomes for this popular obesity treatment ,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Magdalena Szwed, PhD, Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland, and published online in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

LIMITATIONS:

The 1-year postoperative follow-up period was relatively brief. A larger sample size could have enhanced the power of the study. Additionally, the authors suggested that subsequent research could expand the biochemical panel to include other inflammatory markers, such as additional cytokines, adipokines, or certain microRNAs.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by a grant from Nicolaus Copernicus University, a Young Investigator grant from Mary and John Osterhaus and Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, and a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.