Obese Participants Achieve Weight Loss in DBS Clinical Trial

A study published in Nature this August found that deep brain stimulation (DBS) could successfully reduce instances of loss of control (LOC) eating, one of the common features of binge eating disorder. Using six months of targeted DBS, researchers improved instances of LOC eating and achieved healthy reductions in study participants’ body weight.

During the study's initial phase, researchers showed that left ventral nucleus accumbens (NAc) low-frequency power was observed immediately before sessions of LOC eating. The same low frequencies were not observed during standard eating experiences. Using that information, researchers chose to administer high-frequency electrical stimulation to the NAc at the outset of binge eating episodes.

The two adult women included in the trial were diagnosed with binge eating disorder and severe obesity and had previously undergone gastric bypass surgery. After six months of DBS, one subject lost 5.9 kg (13 lbs) of weight, and the other lost 8.2 kg (18.1 lbs), while both reported fewer instances of LOC eating.

While limited, the study’s findings indicate that DBS may be a promising candidate for further clinical trials addressing obesity and binge eating disorders.

Currently, the approved uses of deep brain stimulation are restricted to treating a few diseases and disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and dystonia. In Parkinson’s patients, the advent of DBS has been a game changer, curbing the need for some medications and improving patients’ motor function.

DBS is also being studied as a treatment for many other conditions, including mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. One forthcoming trial will test the effectiveness of DBS on patients with opioid addiction using three participants diagnosed with refractory opioid use disorder.

Besides DBS, physicians are using mHealth tools and cognitive behavioral therapy to help patients who struggle with eating disorders. Research done at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that therapy delivered through a mHealth app reduced objective binge eating and helped more patients reach remission.

The exploration of treatments comes as more patients are being admitted to the hospital due to eating disorders. Before the pandemic, a systematic review reported a worldwide increase in the prevalence of eating disorders. Another study published in the JAMA Network found that adolescent inpatient and outpatient volumes of patients with eating disorders increased during the first months of the pandemic.

It’s estimated that 9% of the United States population will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime and that women are twice as likely as men to develop these disorders.