Patients who suffer from the mental and emotional problem, anorexia nervosa, may benefit from deep brain stimulation. This treatment may help to improve their wellness and wellbeing through increasing their body weight, improving their mood and reducing their anxiety, according to a recently published study.
Researchers from Toronto Western Hospital’s Krembil Neuroscience Centre and a team from the University Health Network of Toronto were investigating the possible benefits of deep brain stimulation, using six patients who were affected by the chronic illness, anorexia nervosa.
The patients had an average age of 38 and had all dealt with the mental health illness on their own for years. As well as anorexia, five of the six patients in the study also suffered from an additional psychiatric condition (or more than one) such as obsessive compulsive disorder or depression. All of the patients had suffered from serious physical health problems related to their anorexia, and, between them, the six patients had clocked up a staggering 50 hospitalisations over the course of their illnesses.
The trial was carried out with strict safety measures, and started with deep brain stimulation, which is a brain surgery that helps to fix dysfunctional brain circuits. These were in the area of the brain that regulate body perceptions, mood and anxiety, and the circuits were modified during the surgery. Patients remained awake while surgical scientists implanted electrodes into the part of their brain that produces emotion.
Nine months after the surgery, half of the patients had gained weight and had a significantly higher BMI. For all three of these patients, this was the longest and most significant weight gain they had since they became ill with anorexia. Four of the patients also discovered changes in their mood, for the better, with the removal of anxiety and unhealthy compulsions relating to food and eating.
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