14 DAY TRIAL // Obesity figures have gone sky-high in recent years, with estimates saying that the number of people with weight problems will increase even more in the following interval. Because of this, talk of a pandemics is warranted, as also is that of the measures needed to keep it in check. One last such method would be deep brain stimulation (DBS), which involves the insertion of electrodes into the brain to send small electric charges to it and thus alter the “dieter”’s perception on fullness and even attitude to food altogether, the Daily Mail says.
DBS is already being used in treating diseases like Parkinson’s and it’s now being considered for use in treating obesity. A three-year trial is currently underway in the US, with two volunteers having already undergone the procedure. Should the surgery be approved by the US Government at the end of the trial period, Dr. Donald Whiting, a neurosurgeon at West Virginia University Hospital that has performed two such interventions, says, other countries as well, including the UK, will consider allowing it to be performed on patients who have tried it all and failed to lose weight.
As Dr. Whiting points out, drilling holes into someone’s brain to have electrodes placed there and then literally “zapping” the brain to get a different response to food than the usual one may sound a bit drastic, but the truth of the matter is obesity is also a drastic problem right now. Unlike gastric surgery, DBS would tackle the problem at the root, since it would leave the stomach intact – an organ that functions well and needs not to have its behavior changed with a gastric band or other surgery – and would only operate on the brain to make the sensation of fullness appear faster. Cravings would also be controlled with the implants.
“Obesity is a drastic problem. There is a risk of stroke and death from this operation, but this is slight. These patients are probably at greater risk of heart attack and stroke from being obese. If the brain controls intake of food, hunger and metabolism, why not go to the source and readjust the controls rather than take an organ such as the stomach, which is working perfectly well, and try to make it behave differently.” Dr. Whiting says for the Mail.
Two volunteers who have already had the surgery done report smaller meals, feeling full faster and less cravings, although the weight lost is not yet that significant. Still, Dr. Whiting points out, they are still “fine-tuning” the procedure, which could mean more weight could be lost over a short period of time in the future. “The weight needs to come off at a steady rate – not too fast and not to [sic.] slow – depending on the individual patient. Our work so far points to this type of surgery being an effective treatment for those who have reached the end of the road and tried all else.” Dr. Whiting shares.
Despite already intense criticism, Dr. Whiting claims the procedure is not at all as drastic as dangerous critics want to make it look, albeit he too admits toying with the brain can be dangerous. If the trial has already been started (and six more volunteers will undergo the procedure in the coming months), this means there are no serious concerns about it, and that, at the end of the three years, researchers will have the ideal solution for the obesity problem, Dr. Whiting says.