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Performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Older Adults Presenting for Bariatric Surgery

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Abstract

Background

Bariatric surgery candidates exhibit cognitive impairment on neuropsychological testing and these deficits are associated with reduced post-operative weight loss. However, less is known about the prevalence of cognitive function in older adults that pursue surgery, despite being at higher risk for cognitive dysfunction.

Objective

To examine the prevalence and profile of cognitive impairment using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in elderly bariatric patients. We hypothesized that increased body mass index (BMI) and higher number of medications would be linked to lower MoCA score, and that men would evidence poorer MoCA scores than women given past work showing that men presenting for bariatric surgery have more medical comorbidities.

Methods

Data was retrospectively extracted from electronic medical records. Patients 65 and older who completed pre-surgical MoCA assessment and bariatric surgery were included in the study (n = 55).

Results

Twenty-two percent of patients scored below cutoff for impairment on the MoCA. MoCA total score was negatively correlated with BMI and number of medications pre-surgery. There was a significant effect for gender, with men outperforming women.

Conclusions

The current findings suggest that cognitive impairment is common in older adults presenting for bariatric surgery. Future studies are needed to determine the most appropriate methods for detecting cognitive dysfunction in this high-risk population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, M61, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA

    Samantha H. Mohun & Leslie J. Heinberg

  2. Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

    Mary B. Spitznagel, John Gunstad & Amber Rochette

Authors
  1. Samantha H. Mohun
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  2. Mary B. Spitznagel
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  3. John Gunstad
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  4. Amber Rochette
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  5. Leslie J. Heinberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samantha H. Mohun.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

The Institutional Review Board approved the preceding as an exempt study as it involved retrospective chart review.

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Mohun, S.H., Spitznagel, M.B., Gunstad, J. et al. Performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Older Adults Presenting for Bariatric Surgery. OBES SURG 28, 2700–2704 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-018-3206-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-018-3206-z

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