Cognition in patients with post-bariatric hypoglycemia.

OBJECTIVE: Bariatric surgery, a highly effective treatment for obesity and associated comorbidities, may improve cognition and brain volume in parallel with cardiometabolic function. However, some post-bariatric individuals develop post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH), which can be frequent and severe. The impact of recurrent hypoglycemia on cognition in PBH is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether individuals with PBH display reduced cognitive function compared with postsurgical counterparts without hypoglycemia. METHODS: Fourteen adults with a history of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass with hypoglycemia (PBH+, n = 7) or without PBH (PBH-, n = 7) completed assessments of memory, executive function, attention, and psychomotor speed. RESULTS: PBH+ individuals displayed significantly decreased performance in category fluency (p < 0.01), category switching (p < 0.01), and category switching accuracy (p < 0.01), compared with PBH- individuals. Performance in the first (p = 0.03) and third intervals (p = 0.045) of verbal fluency was significantly lower in PBH+ individuals versus PBH- individuals. All other assessments did not differ. CONCLUSIONS: PBH+ individuals may be at greater risk for cognitive impairment compared with PBH- individuals, as suggested by impaired semantic processing and cognitive flexibility, as well as greater difficulty initiating and sustaining word retrieval.

Brain Health Indicators Following Acute Neuro-Exergaming: Biomarker and Cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) after Pedal-n-Play (iPACES).

Facing an unrelenting rise in dementia cases worldwide, researchers are exploring non-pharmacological ways to ameliorate cognitive decline in later life. Twenty older adults completed assessments before and after a single bout of interactive physical and cognitive exercise, by playing a neuro-exergame that required pedaling and steering to control progress in a tablet-based video game tailored to impact executive function (the interactive Physical and Cognitive Exercise System; iPACES v2). This study explored the cognitive and biomarker outcomes for participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normative older adults after 20 min of pedal-to-play exercise. Neuropsychological and salivary assessments were performed pre- and post-exercise to assess the impact. Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed significant interaction effects, with MCI participants experiencing greater changes in executive function and alpha-amylase levels than normative older adults; within-group changes were also significant. This study provides further data regarding cognitive effects and potential mechanisms of action for exercise as an intervention for MCI.

Continuous glucose monitoring in patients with post-bariatric hypoglycaemia reduces hypoglycaemia and glycaemic variability.

AIM: To determine whether continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can reduce hypoglycaemia in patients with post-bariatric hypoglycaemia (PBH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In an open-label, nonrandomized, pre-post design with sequential assignment, CGM data were collected in 22 individuals with PBH in two sequential phases: (i) masked (no access to sensor glucose or alarms); and (ii) unmasked (access to sensor glucose and alarms for low or rapidly declining sensor glucose). Twelve participants wore the Dexcom G4 device for a total of 28 days, while 10 wore the Dexcom G6 device for a total of 20 days. RESULTS: Participants with PBH spent a lower percentage of time in hypoglycaemia over 24 hours with unmasked versus masked CGM (<3.3 mM/L, or <60 mg/dL: median [median absolute deviation {MAD}] 0.7 [0.8]% vs. 1.4 [1.7]%, P = 0.03; <3.9 mM/L, or <70 mg/dL: median [MAD] 2.9 [2.5]% vs. 4.7 [4.8]%; P = 0.04), with similar trends overnight. Sensor glucose data from the unmasked phase showed a greater percentage of time spent between 3.9 and 10 mM/L (70-180 mg/dL) (median [MAD] 94.8 [3.9]% vs. 90.8 [5.2]%; P = 0.004) and lower glycaemic variability over 24 hours (median [MAD] mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion 4.1 [0.98] vs. 4.4 [0.99] mM/L; P = 0.04). During the day, participants also spent a greater percentage of time in normoglycaemia with unmasked CGM (median [MAD] 94.2 [4.8]% vs. 90.9 [6.2]%; P = 0.005), largely due to a reduction in hyperglycaemia (>10 mM/L, or 180 mg/dL: median [MAD] 1.9 [2.2]% vs. 3.9 [3.6]%; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Real-time CGM data and alarms are associated with reductions in low sensor glucose, elevated sensor glucose, and glycaemic variability. This suggests CGM allows patients to detect hyperglycaemic peaks and imminent hypoglycaemia, allowing dietary modification and self-treatment to reduce hypoglycaemia. The use of CGM devices may improve safety in PBH, particularly for patients with hypoglycaemia unawareness.

Glycemic Patterns Are Distinct in Post-Bariatric Hypoglycemia After Gastric Bypass (PBH-RYGB).

CONTEXT: Severe hypoglycemia with neuroglycopenia, termed post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH). typically occurs postprandially, but it is also reported after activity or mid-nocturnally. OBJECTIVE: To quantify glycemia, glycemic variability, and magnitude/duration of low sensor glucose (SG) values in patients with PBH after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (PBH-RYGB). METHODS: This retrospective analysis of data from an academic medical center included individuals with PBH-RYGB (n = 40), reactive hypoglycemia without gastrointestinal surgery (Non-Surg Hypo, n = 20), prediabetes (Pre-DM, n = 14), newly diagnosed T2D (n = 5), and healthy controls (HC, n = 38). Masked continuous glucose monitoring (Dexcom G4) was used to assess patterns over 24 hours, daytime (6 am-midnight) and nighttime (midnight-6 am). Prespecified measures included mean and median SG, variability, and percent time at thresholds of sensor glucose. RESULTS: Mean and median SG were similar for PBH-RYGB and HC (mean: 99.8 ±â€…18.6 vs 96.9 ±â€…10.2 mg/dL; median: 93.0 ±â€…14.8 vs 94.5 ±â€…7.4 mg/dL). PBH-RYGB had a higher coefficient of variation (27.3 ±â€…6.8 vs 17.9 ±â€…2.4%, P < 0.0001) and range (154.5 ±â€…50.4 vs 112.0 ±â€…26.7 mg/dL, P < 0.0001). Nadir was lowest in PBH-RYGB (42.5 ±â€…3.7 vs HC 49.0 ±â€…11.9 mg/dL, P = 0.0046), with >2-fold greater time with SG < 70 mg/dL vs HC (7.7 ±â€…8.4 vs 3.2 ±â€…4.1%, P = 0.0013); these differences were greater at night (12.6 ±â€…16.9 vs 1.0 ±â€…1.5%, P < 0.0001). Non-Surg Hypo also had 4-fold greater time with SG < 70 at night vs HC (SG < 70: 4.0 ±â€…5.9% vs 1.0 ±â€…1.5%), but glycemic variability was not increased. CONCLUSION: Patients with PBH-RYGB experience higher glycemic variability and frequency of SG < 70 compared to HC, especially at night. These data suggest that additional pathophysiologic mechanisms beyond prandial changes contribute to PBH.