Obesity drug semaglutide tested for brain benefits in new trial

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Key inclusion criteria for obese group: * Individuals of age 35-55 years with BMI 27 - 40 kg/m2 * Able to provide informed consent * Willing to self-inject semaglutide and follow study procedures for its entire duration. Key inclusion criteria for lean control group: * Individuals of age 35-55 years with BMI 20 - 25 kg/m2 * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria for both groups: * Current type 2 diabetes mellitus; * Neurological disorders affecting the CNS; * History or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 syndrome * CNS-active medications (outside of medications used to control psychiatric disorders); * Poorly controlled psychiatric disorders including major depression or previous suicidality; * Class III obesity (BMI\>40 or BMI\>35 with complications) as these individuals are eligible for bariatric surgery in Canada and will be referred for appropriate medical care; * Clinical safety blood measures indicative of a medical issue. * History of weight change \> 5 kg in past 90 days; * History of pancreatitis * Previous or planned bariatric surgery; * Use of another weight loss medication during trial participation and within 90 days before enrolment; * History of serious medical illness, monogenic obesity, uncontrolled hypertension (sBP\>160 mmHg, dBP\>100 mmHg), active malignancy, illicit substance use, cigarette smoking, diagnosed eating disorder, as listed in the study protocol associated with; Other obesity comorbidities, e.g. hypertension, pre-diabetes (HbA1C = 6% to 6.4%), hyperlipidemia, controlled depressive disorder or anxiety, ADHD, and polycystic ovary syndrome, will not be exclusion criteria as this would reduce the representativeness of our sample. * Female subjects of childbearing potential (i.e., a premenopausal female capable of becoming pregnant) are eligible to enroll if they are either sexually inactive/abstinent or using an effective contraceptive from screening until 4 weeks after the last dose. Medically accepted contraception are hormonal implants, hormonal patches, IDU, diaphragm and spermicide, cervical cape with spermicide, and condom with spermicide.