Evaluation of Cognitive Improvement After Bariatric Surgery Using a Virtual Reality Program and the Neuropsi Neuropsychological Battery (CognitiveBS)

November 13, 2025 updated by: Argelia Pérez Pacheco, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga

Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Cognitive Performance Assessed Using a Virtual Reality Program and the Neuropsi Battery.

Background: Obesity is a chronic, systemic, and multifactorial disease affecting populations worldwide, with projections indicating a 50% increase by 2035. It is linked to higher risks of cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Bariatric surgery has shown benefits in reducing fat and systemic inflammation, which may improve cognitive function. However, the factors predicting such improvements remain unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery on cognitive performance using virtual reality (Neurotracker) and the Neuropsi neuropsychological battery.

Methods: This prospective quasi-experimental study will include patients with morbid obesity who are candidates for bariatric surgery. Cognitive performance will be evaluated using the Neurotracker virtual reality tool and the Neuropsi neuropsychological battery. Participants will complete Neurotracker sessions three times weekly for two weeks before surgery, and again at 3- and 6-months post-surgery. The Neuropsi assessment will be conducted once prior to surgery and repeated at 6 months afterward. Statistical analyses will compare cognitive performance before and after the surgical intervention.

Expected Outcomes: The study aims to identify measurable improvements in cognitive function after weight loss from bariatric surgery, evaluated through both traditional neuropsychological tests and immersive virtual reality tools. These results could improve understanding of the cognitive benefits of surgical obesity treatment and the factors that predict these outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

42

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1P1
        • Withdrawn
        • Faubert Lab
  • Mexico
    • Mexico City
      • Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico, 06720
        • Recruiting
        • Hospital General de México "Dr. Eduardo Licega"
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Adriana Lizzet Gutiérrez Guerrero, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Carlos Pérez Duarte Rosas, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • María Fernanda García Ortega, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Samuel González Juárez, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • José Manuel González Ramírez, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Jazmín Verónica Ávila Lozano, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Antonio González Chávez, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Karla Janeth Torres Rayón, BS
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • David Trejo Martínez, MS

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

A. Age (18-65 years) B. Diagnostic of morbid obesity with a body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2, or, C. Obesity grade II (BMI > 35 kg/m2) and associated comorbidities (Diabetes Mellitus type 2, Hypertension, Ischemic Cardiopathy, Hyperlipidemia, Hepatic Steatosis, Metabolic Syndrome, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Pickwick Syndrome) D. Bariatric surgery criteria.

Exclusion Criteria:

A. Age < 18 years, > 65 years B. Visual impairment C. Personal history of CVE D. Drug addiction.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group
Evaluation of perceptual-cognitive functions (NeuroTracker) in individuals without obesity.
Experimental: Intervention/Treatment
Evaluation of perceptual-cognitive functions (NeuroTracker) in patients with morbid obesity or obesity and related conditions, who were treated with bariatric surgery.
Procedure: Bariatric Surgery
Surgical procedures designed to induce sustained weight loss in patients with morbid obesity by modifying the gastrointestinal anatomy to restrict caloric intake, reduce nutrient absortion, or alter gut hormonal responses involved in appetite and metabolism regulation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
NEUROPSI
Time Frame: NEUROPSI will be applied to group intervention before bariatric surgery and 6 months after it. For the control group, NEUROPSI will be applied at the time of enrollment and 6 months later.
NEUROPSI is a standardized neuropsychological assessment battery designed to evaluate cognitive functions. It provides quantitative measures adjusted for age and education grade.
NEUROPSI will be applied to group intervention before bariatric surgery and 6 months after it. For the control group, NEUROPSI will be applied at the time of enrollment and 6 months later.
NeuroTracker
Time Frame: The time of evaluation will be: 12 sessions pre-surgery, 12 sessions, 3 months post-surgery (post-op) 12 sessions, 6 months post-op With a total of 3 visits per evaluation (9 visits), each patient will complete 80 trials per visit.
has a virtual cloud-based web portal, that has been validated by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Participants will perform a total of 12 sessions. Each session will consist of 3 blocks of 20 trials.
The time of evaluation will be: 12 sessions pre-surgery, 12 sessions, 3 months post-surgery (post-op) 12 sessions, 6 months post-op With a total of 3 visits per evaluation (9 visits), each patient will complete 80 trials per visit.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga

Collaborators

Université de Montréal
NeuroTracker Athletics Inc.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Argelia Pérez Pacheco, PhD, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 25, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 25, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 13, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

November 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 17, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DI/24/501/04/37 (Other Identifier: Hospital General de México, Dr. Eduardo Liceaga)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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