Journal: Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (2019)
Authors: Ferrulli A, Macrì C, Terruzzi I, Massarini S, Ambrogi F, Adamo M, Milani V, Luzi L
Background:
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, becoming a global health concern. Promising results have been obtained by the application of Deep TMS in reducing nicotine dependence, alcohol craving, and cocaine abuse. Consistent with the dysregulation of the prefrontal cortex inhibitory control and brain reward system in obese people and with the Deep TMS modulatory effect on the reward system, a potential role for Deep TMS in reducing food craving is hypothesized.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that Deep TMS reduces food craving and causes weight loos via neuromodulation.
Methods:
This pilot study was designed as a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study. A total of 33 obese people (nine men, 24 women, mean age48.1 ± 10.6 years, body mass index [BMI] 36.9 ± 4.7 kg/m2) were randomized and completed the study: 13 participants underwent a 5-week treatment with high-frequency (HF) Deep TMS (18 Hz; HF group), 10 were treated with low-frequency (LF) Deep TMS (1 Hz; LF group), and 10 were sham-treated (sham group). Food craving, and metabolic and neuro-endocrine variables were evaluated at baseline, after the5-week treatment, and at follow-up visits (1 month, 6 months, 1 year after the end of treatment).
Results:
The mixed-model analysis for repeated measures showed a significant inter-action of time and groups for body weight (P= 0.001) and BMI (P= 0.001), with a significant body weight (−7.83 ± 2.28 kg; P= 0.0009) and BMI (−2.83 ± 0.83, P= 0.0009) decrease in the HF versus the sham group. A decreasing trend in food craving in the HF versus the LF and sham groups (P= 0.073) was observed. A significant improvement of metabolic and physical activity variables was found (P< 0.05) in the HF group.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of Deep TMS, in addition to physical exercise and a hypocaloric diet, in reducing body weight for up to 1 year in obese people. The authors hypothesize that a possible mechanism of HF Deep TMS treatment is modulation of the dopaminergic pathway and stimulation of physical activity.
Full Publication: Weight loss induced by deep transcranial magnetic stimulation in obesity: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study – PubMed
