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A new treatment for eating disorders could cure patients for up to a year, researchers claim.They say magnets could help people with eating disorders regain control of their lives.
Patients with long-standing eating disorders remained symptom-free for up to a year after a magnet was used to turn up the part of the brain involved in self-control.
Patients with long-standing eating disorders remained symptom-free for up to a year after a magnet was used to turn up the part of the brain involved in self-control
All of those being treated had exhausted all conventional options, including pills and psychotherapy, and many had been in and out of hospital for years.
The Canadian researchers say the brain-boosting treatment – which is already used to ease depression – could be a valuable new weapon in the fight against anorexia and bulimia.
Dr Jonathan Downar told the Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference: ‘Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia affect more than eight million women in North America.
‘They can also be deadly - up to one in five people with anorexia die prematurely from medical complications.
‘Our existing treatments are ineffective for many patients. New, more effective treatment are urgently needed.’
In Britain, some 1.6 people have an eating disorder, including around 150,000 men and boys.
The treatment used in the study is called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS, and involves placing a magnetic coil on the scalp and using it to stimulate the brain’s electrical circuits.
Over or under-active parts of the brain can be calmed down or jump-started.
The treatment is called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS, and involves placing a magnetic coil on the scalp and using it to stimulate the brain's electrical circuits
In this case, the coil was placed over a brain region known to be important for self-control and 20 patients were treated five times a week for four weeks.
All of those treated regularly ‘binged and purged’ – meaning they feasted on food before going to extremes to remove it from their body. Some had bulimia, others had a form of anorexia.
Almost half of those taking part saw a marked improvement in their symptoms.
In most cases, they spent three to six months free of bingeing and purging, but some remained well for a year.
Accompanying conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder were also eased.
It is thought that by enhancing activity in a brain region involved in self-control, treatment made it easier for the patients to quash their impulses and regulate their emotions, thoughts and behaviour.
Although they had been told how to do this in counselling, they still needed to strengthen the brain circuits needed to put the lessons into practice.
The University of Toronto researchers also showed it is possible to use brain scans to work out which patients will benefit from the magnetic treatment.
They said that rTMS, which has been used to treat conditions from depression to ringing in the ears, is considered safe and its main drawback is inconvenience, with patients having to make regular hospital visits to complete a course of treatment.
Booster courses are also needed after the initial effects wear off.
As the treatment strengthens self-control it does not stop anorexics from restricting the amount of food they eat. However, targeting a second brain area might help with this.
Dr Downar, a psychiatrist, said: ‘For patients with eating disorders who are not doing well with medications and therapy, it might be worth discussing the option of rTMS with the treating psychiatrist or GP.’
Almost half of those taking part in the trial of the magnet treatment saw a marked improvement in their symptoms
Susan Ringwood, of eating disorder charity Beat said: ‘We know that there is much that still needs to be understood about the biological basis for eating disorders.
‘Studies of this kind show that the condition is much more hard-wired than was known until recent advances in neuroscience helped to explain how the brain works.
‘People with eating disorders can find it very encouraging to know that it is not their fault, they didn't choose to have this condition.
‘We are hopeful that this research will lead to a new, effective treatments being designed, but it is early days.
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