Study Finds That Stimulating The Brain With Electricity Could Reduce The Symptoms Of Bulimia

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by binge - eating a large quantity in a small period of time. This is followed by purging which refers to the attempt to get rid of the food eaten, which can be done by vomiting, taking laxatives, extreme dieting, or the misuse of drugs.

A recent study by researchers at King's College London finds that the symptoms of the condition also known as bulimia nervosa such as the urge to binge eat and restrict food intake, are mitigated by delivering electricity to certain parts of the brain using non-invasive brain stimulation.

The symptoms that accompany the condition are worsened by an intense preoccupation with body weight, shape or appearance, which can become compulsive and similar to those of an addiction over time. Women and adolescent are at greater risk of Bulimia and is said that up to two percent of women have bulimia at some stage in their life. It is often associated with multiple medical complications with almost 4 percent of persons with the condition dying prematurely from the disorder.

Although, the current procedures used to remedy the condition such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are effective for most people with bulimia, the treatment does not work for a significant proportion, thus, leading to a pressing need for new techniques. Many researchers believe that the remedy could be neuroscience-based technologies, which target the underlying neural basis of eating disorders, including problems with reward processing and self-control.

Previous studies on the subject by researchers at King's college London found that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which is currently used as a treatment for depression in the United States, was effective in minimizing food craving in person with the condition.

The new study checked the effect of the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) - an inexpensive and portable form of brain stimulation, which uses electrodes placed on the head to stimulate specific parts of the brain. The procedure could improve cognitive function in areas related to reward processing and self-control,according to Science Daily.

The treatment is painless but accompanied by side effects like slight itching or tingling on the scalp. The researchers administered real tDCS and placebo tDCS to 39 people with a period of at least 48 hours between both sessions.

They also used questionnaires before and after each session to measure their symptoms including the urge to binge eat, concerns about weight and shape, restriction of food intake, levels of self-control and self-esteem. The authors found that the bulimia symptoms were substantially reduced by the tDCS treatment but not the placebo session as the baseline scores on the urge to binge eat decreased by 31 percent after tDCS.

They also utilized a decision-making task where participants are made to choose between a small amount of money which is available immediately and a large sum available in three months.

They found that the participants displayed a greater tendency to delay gratification after the tDCS session compared to the placebo session, which means they exhibit more prudent decision-making by waiting for later but larger rewards, instead of selecting the smaller, immediate option.

According to WebMD, the findings of the study suggests that a non-invasive brain stimulation technique suppresses the urge to binge eat and reduces the severity of other common symptoms in people with bulimia nervosa, at least temporarily. The researchers believed this is achieved by improving cognitive control over compulsive features of the disorder. 

They report that although, the study is still in its early stage, it found an improvement in symptoms and decision-making abilities after just one session of tDCS, which invariably suggest that a larger sample and multiple sessions over a longer period of time could produce a better result.

The authors state that the advantage of tDCS is that it is less expensive and portable compared to other brain stimulation techniques, thus, raising the expectation that it could be self-delivered at home by patients someday, either as an addition to talking therapies so as to improve outcomes, or as a standalone alternative approach. They published their findings in PLOS ONE.