"Brain Pacemaker" to Treat Severe Anorexia

Several neurosurgeons from the University of Toronto have tried using a technique called deep brain stimulation to help patients suffering from severe anorexia. In this procedure tiny electrodes are implanted next to a region of the brain that is thought to be dysfunctional in these patients. The device, which contains similarities with a heart pacemaker, is connected to the electrodes and sends waves of electricity through the electrodes to stimulate that activity in the dysfunctional region while also quieting other regions.

The latest study was performed on 6 women with chronic anorexia of which 3 saw improvements about nine months after beginning treatment and 2 started to reach a normal body weight.  The developers of the treatment say that this device is not a magic cure-all but is meant to work together with the additional counseling of a psychiatrist and dietitian. The treatment is meant to lower anxiety and depression enough in patients so that they are able to take full advantage of their other therapies.  The technique is still experimental and risky (because it is brain surgery) and needs to be tested on a larger scale to determine its full effects on patients with anorexia but one of the researchers was quoted saying, "The primary objective of this study was to establish that this a safe procedure for these patients who have been quite ill before the surgery. That's all we can say right now."

This article is very important right now in America and the rest of the world because the incidence of anorexia is still climbing and "in about 20 to 30 percent of cases, the disease becomes a chronic condition that gets tougher and tougher to treat."  It seems that this disease is often overshadowed by its reverse, obesity, but still deserves the same amount of attention. If this procedure were able to become fully successful, that 20-30% of patients might be able to find relief. 

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