Problem gamblers, shopaholics and compulsive eaters can ‘retune’ their brains by zapping with electricity, study suggests
- The non-invasive technique involves placing electrodes on a patient’s scalp
- The electrodes deliver currents at specific frequencies to ‘retune’ brainwaves
- When tested, the technique reduced obsessive-compulsive behavior for up to 3 months, with the greatest improvements in those with the most severe symptoms
According to new research, problem gamblers, shopaholics and compulsive eaters could ‘fine tune’ their brains by zapping them with electricity.
The non-invasive technique involves sending small pulses of current to the orbitofrontal cortex – an area of gray matter that slows down in people with addictions.
Researchers hope the unusual technique could open the door to combating a host of obsessive compulsive disorders (OCDs) that affect about one in eight people on Earth.
Problem gamblers, shopaholics and those with eating disorders can be cured – by ‘zapping’ their brains, according to new research (stock image)
The uncontrollable urges can be life-threatening and lead to obesity, substance abuse or financial ruin.
“ This new form of personalized brain modulation may be effective in producing long-lasting benefits in people in need as a result of actions such as compulsive eating, gambling and shopping, ” said Dr. Robert Reinhart of Boston University in the USA, who study wrote. .
The therapy, called HD-tACS (high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation), involves placing electrodes on a patient’s scalp.
They deliver tiny currents at specific frequencies to “retune” brainwaves, Dr. Reinhart explained.
His team applied the therapy to 124 volunteers with varying levels of OCD over a five-day period.
After undergoing the sessions, the men and women performed better in a series of lab experiments that tested their self-control, such as resisting gambling.
Dr. Reinhart said, “It decreased obsessive-compulsive behavior for up to 3 months – with the greatest improvements seen in people with the most severe symptoms.”
The non-invasive technique involves sending small pulses of current to the orbitofrontal cortex (shown in pink on the left of the diagram) – an area of gray matter that slows down in people with addictions
The brain-zapping technique could open the door to combat a variety of conditions, including problem gambling (stock image)
The new treatment opens the door to many ailments that affect about one in eight people on Earth.
Dr. Reinhart said, “Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from obsessive-compulsive behaviors, but our mechanistic understanding of them is incomplete and effective therapies are not available.
“They are common in the general population and cause a lot of distress to the individual.”
This new form of personalized brain modulation can be effective in producing long-lasting benefits in people in need as a result of actions such as compulsive eating, gambling and shopping (stock image)
Existing treatments such as antidepressants and other medications produce disappointing results – and can cause side effects.
Dr. Reinhart said, “With non-invasive neuromodulation, interventions can be personalized according to individual neurophysiological dynamics.”
Mental health charities have said the number of people seeking help for obsessive-compulsive disorders has risen sharply since the start of the pandemic.
Mental health charities have said the number of people seeking help for obsessive-compulsive disorders has risen sharply since the start of the pandemic (stock image)
Dr. Reinhart said, “At present, our results provide causal evidence for the involvement of the orbitofrontal cortex in obsessive-compulsive behavior.
The frequency-specific effects of neuromodulation provide a mechanistic insight into the neurophysiology towards which symptom improvement can be directed.
The personalized neuromodulation design leverages the brain’s neuroplastic properties to produce long-lasting effects through chronic HD-tACS administration.
“Although we examined a subclinical population in the present study, the perceived benefits motivate further investigation of personalized neuromodulation as an experimental drug for clinical obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.”
The study is published in the journal Nature Medicine.