An Investigation of the Relationship Between Weight Status and Posterior Neuropsychological Functioning

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between weight status and posterior brain functioning. Included in the final analyses were 38 (29 women and 9 men) undergraduate college students. Participants were weighed and measured then asked to complete several measures of body image and several neuropsychological measures. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVAS (weight status group [i.e., normal or overweight] by performance on neuropsychological test) and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results showed that participants who had a higher BMI were more likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies. Results did not indicate any significant difference between weight group and performance on neuropsychological tests when using a one-way ANOVA. Mann- Whitney U Tests indicated a significant difference between the weight groups on a measure of verbal fluency.