Pattern reversal visual evoked potential and Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test among obese and overweight young adults

Body Mass Index; Electrophysiology; Obesity; Visual Cognition; Visual Evoked Potential INTRODUCTION Among the global burden of non-communicable diseases, obesity is the most common public health problem prevalent in most countries. According to a survey by the WHO, in 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight and 650 million of them were obese.® Obesity, a condition of overnutrition, is concerned not only with weight-related health issues but also with systemic inflammation triggered by an excess of macronutrients in the adipose tissues.® The metabolic and cardiovascular complications of obesity were well established. The electrophysiological evaluation of the functional status of visual conduction pathways using visual evoked potential (VEP) was found to delay their conduction time among subjects with higher BMI.® Experimental animal models and human imaging studies revealed the association of obesity with changes in white matter and myelin sheath lipid composition/4® Regional variations in brain volume were reported in children and adolescents with increased BMI.® Cognitive executive function including visuospatial ability, visual learning, and memory can be assessed using Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (ROCFT).® Similar to mini-mental state examination, ROCFT can be used to detect mild cognitive impairment.® As the major function of the central nervous system is to cognize, the pathological involvement of the same, among subjects with greater BMI, has been reflected by a number of studies, but the reports were inconsistent and contradictory®101 and hence this study was chosen with the aim of determining the effect of BMI on pattern reversal VEP and ROCFT among obese and overweight young adults. The sample size was calculated using OpenEpi software with 95% confidence interval and 80% power using the mean ± SD of Pl00 latency among normal and obese adults of previous study after considering 10% attrition.® The height in meters and weight in Kg were measured using Thermocare height measurement scale and digital weighing machine - Omron HN 289, respectively, and BMI was calculated.