Evaluation and Follow up of Emotional Regulation, Cognition, Impulsivity and Reward System in Obesity, and Determination of Its Biopsychosocial Risk Factors: A Prospective Study of Obese Patients Before and After Bariatric Surgery

This research investigates obesity and associated psychiatric symptoms and disorders in a wide range of perspectives, to demonstrate the effects of obesity on the brain. The 1st aim is to assess the psychiatric symptom profiles in the group of obese patients applying for bariatric surgery and to determine the associated environmental stress factors. While, it is known that eating disorders, mood disorders and psychiatric drugs can cause obesity, obesity can also cause many psychiatric complications such as depression and cognitive disorders. There are no multi-centered studies that are conducted in this respect, and the guidelines on pre-evaluation and follow-up of patients are also lacking. The 2nd aim is to evaluate and monitor cognitive characteristics before and after bariatric surgery in obese patients. Obese people are at increased risk of dementia and are more likely to have cognitive deficits, especially executive function problems, that can affect everyday life. For this reason, obese individuals should be examined and monitored in more detail in terms of their cognitive characteristics and the change of cognitive functions during the weight loss process. The 3rd aim is to examine the relationship between obesity, bariatric surgery and reward processing system. Studies have been limited in determining whether addiction in these people is due to a search of a continuous substance as a cognitive feature or whether it is difficult to terminate it as an impulsive behavior when encountered with a pleasurable substance, even though there is no reward seeking or reward dependence. The 4th aim is the determination of the neuroanatomical and molecular components of cognitive changes observed after bariatric surgery. During the dynamic process following bariatric surgery, a variety of metabolites, chemokines, and microbiota changes may also affect the brain health and cognition. The 5th aim is to determine factors of eating, emotional regulation, reward system, addiction and impulsivity, and other psychopathologies that cause suboptimal weight loss or weight gain after bariatric surgery. Understanding the psychological and neurobiological factors involved in these processes can improve surgical interventions and significantly increase the quality of life for patients.