Problem gamblers, shopaholics and compulsive eaters can have their brains ‘reset’ by doubling them with electricity, according to the study
- The non-invasive technique involves placing electrode on the patient’s scalp
- The electrodes supply currents at specific frequencies to ‘reset’ brain waves
- During tests, the technique reduced obsessive-compulsive behavior to three months, with the greatest improvements in those with the most severe symptoms.
Problem gamblers, shopaholics and compulsive eaters can ‘reset’ their brains by doubling them with electricity, according to new research.
The non-invasive technique involves sending small shocks of electricity to the orbitofrontal cortex – an area of gray matter that slows down in people with addiction.
Researchers hope the unusual technique could open the door to the fight against a number of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs) that affect about one in eight people on the planet.
Problem gamblers, shopaholics and people with eating disorders can be cured – according to their new research (stock image) by ‘zapping’ their brains.
The uncontrollable cravings can be life-threatening – leading to obesity, drug abuse or financial ruin.
“This new form of personalized brain modulation can be effective in delivering long-term benefits to people experiencing distress due to actions such as compulsive eating, gambling and shopping,” said Dr. Robert Reinhart, Boston University in the US, who wrote the study. .
Called HD-tACS (high-definition transcranial AC stimulation), the therapy involves placing electrodes on the patient’s scalp.
They deliver small currents at specific frequencies to ‘reset’ brain waves, Dr Reinhart explained.
His team applied the therapy to 124 volunteers with varying levels of OCD over a five-day period.
After the sessions, the men and women performed better in a series of laboratory experiments that tested their self-control, such as resisting gambling.
Dr Reinhart said: ‘It has reduced obsessive-compulsive behavior to three months, with the greatest improvements seen in those with the most severe symptoms.’
The non-invasive technique involves sending small pieces of electricity to the orbitofrontal cortex (shown in pink to the left of the diagram) – an area of gray matter that slows down in people with addiction
The brain-zapping technique can open the door to combat a number of conditions, including gambling (stock image)
The new treatment opens the door to combat a number of conditions that affect about one in eight people on the planet.
Dr Reinhart said: ‘Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from obsessive-compulsive behavior, but our mechanistic understanding of it is incomplete, and effective therapy is not available.
“It is very common in the general population and causes great distress to the individual.”
This new form of personalized brain modulation can be effective in providing long-term benefits to people experiencing distress due to actions such as compulsive eating, gambling and shopping (stock image)
Existing treatments such as antidepressants and other drugs produce disappointing outcomes – and can cause side effects.
Dr. Reinhart said, “With non-invasive neuromodulation, interventions can be personalized according to the individual neurophysiological dynamics.”
Mental health charities have said the number of people seeking help for obsessive-compulsive disorder has risen sharply since the start of the pandemic.
Mental health charities have said the number of people seeking help for obsessive-compulsive disorder 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 orbitofrontal cortexin-obsessive-compulsive behavior.
‘The frequency-specific effects of neuromodulation provide a mechanistic insight into neurophysiology that can be improved upon symptoms.
‘The personalized neuromodulation design utilizes the neuroplastic properties of the brain to deliver long-lasting effects via chronic HD tACS administration.
“Although we examined a subclinical population in the present study, the observed benefits provide motivation for further investigation of personalized neuromodulation as an experimental drug for clinical obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.”
The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.