Effect of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Brain Responses

The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Impulsivity and Attentional Bias to Food Cues

After obesity surgery gastric bypass (GBP) patients usually lose more than 50% of its former preponderance in relative short time (~ 2 years). But knowledge of the underlying biological mechanisms of decline in body weight is still inadequate.

This project intends to examine patients' background activity in the brain (i.e. "the resting state activity") and brain volume using MRI both before and one year after surgery.

We will also investigate whether hormonal changes in response to food intake after obesity surgery is associated with patients' impulsive control when exposed to pictures of food in the MRI.

Inclusion Criteria:

• female
• right-handed
• scheduled for bariatric surgery in the Academic Hospital of Uppsala, Sweden

Exclusion Criteria:

• undergone more than one bariatric surgery
• suffer from mental disorders (depression, phobias, etc.) that can not be controlled with treatment.