People with anorexia could be one step closer to a new treatment option, with a method of brain stimulation trialled for the first time by Orygen researchers to treat the disease showing clinically meaningful improvements in 75 per cent of participants.
With results published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, the randomised trial of eight women used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to stimulate an area of the brain linked to the illness, and showed improvements in symptoms and body mass index (BMI) in those receiving the intervention.
The treatment stems from a previous breakthrough discovery by Associate Professor Andrea Phillipou that found a unique eye movement in people with anorexia nervosa was linked to specific neural circuitry in the brain.
A/Prof. Phillipou said that although this first trial involved a small number of people, the results show that HD-tDCS is low-risk and holds promise as a step towards developing a new treatment option for anorexia.
“This is a really exciting development in the treatment of anorexia, an illness which has significant mortality and limited effective treatment options,” A/Prof. Phillipou said.
“During this trial we observed clinically meaningful improvements – such as a reduction in symptoms – in all the participants receiving the brain stimulation, while there was no improvement in the control group receiving the placebo.
“The results suggest that stimulating this particular area of the brain could lead to psychological improvements as well as weight restoration in people with this eating disorder.”
The study focused on stimulation of the inferior parietal lobe (IPL), which recent research has suggested could be a neurobiological target for the treatment of anorexia.
HD-tDCS stimulation makes brain cells more likely to become activated by delivering electrical signals, and while it has been used in the treatment of depression and other mental health conditions, this is the first trial to explore its effect on the IPL in the treatment of anorexia.
“We thought if we could stimulate this area of the brain in a safe and non-invasive way it might promote better connectivity between this region and other brain areas thought to be involved in the illness, helping to reduce the symptoms of anorexia,” A/Prof. Phillipou said.
“While we should interpret the results with caution, the findings do indicate that this treatment is low-risk and effective, and provides proof-of-concept that stimulating the IPL may lead to improvements in anorexia symptoms.
“We desperately need more effective treatments for this illness, as currently most treatments are long-term and still have poor recovery rates – this method of brain stimulation may prove to be a faster and more effective treatment.”
COVID-19 limited the number of participants who could take part in the trial, but the study had a 100 per cent completion rate and A/Prof. Phillipou said further investigation is warranted.
“At present, we only have a small window early on in the illness where current treatments are the most effective – so it’s critical that we find more effective interventions for individuals at all stages of this illness,” A/Prof. Phillipou said.
“This treatment could be a game changer for the many people living with anorexia, and these results give us hope that we will find a more effective way to treat this condition in the future.”
More about the research:
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Primary aim of the pilot was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention (recruitment rates, retention rates, and compliance with schedule) – secondary objectives assessed clinical outcomes (symptoms and weight restoration).