Putative neuroprotective role of visfatin against cognitive dysfunction in obese patients

Abstract

Objectives: Visfatin (adipokine) is thought to have neuroprotective properties. The aims of to determine the type and extent of prefrontal cortical dysfunction and to evaluate the potential neuroprotective role of visfatin. Methods: Sixty-one obese patients were included. A diagnosis of primary obesity was made on the basis of a BMI > 30. Visfatin serum levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was used to assess prefrontal cortex-mediated cognitive function. Results: Visfatin levels were not correlated with age or BMI. However, patients with higher visfatin levels tended to show an overall improvement in WCST scores. Nonetheless, a significant positive correlation (P = 0.032) was found only between high serum visfatin levels and the number of correctly completed categories in the WCST. Discussion: The results described herein indicate a possible neuroprotective effect of visfatin against obesity-related cognition dysfunction, particularly in regard to the categorizing capacity associated with executive function.