Take a quick walk through Houston and there is no question that America is fat. At a whopping 34% overweight rating, it seems everything really is bigger in Texas (1). Reflecting this chubby city’s status, the nationwide obesity sits just a little higher at a hefty 34.9% (2). With our nation carrying around these heavy statistics, our media outlets are saturated with weight loss programs. Whether that is an quantitative system like Weight Watchers or a radical program like The Biggest Loser, Americans are infatuated with the concept of weight loss. But what if there is a way to lose weight without the gym or carb calculators?
In 2013, Marci Glick, lead researcher at the National Institutes of Health, made this utopian idea a reality. Gluck and her research team found 9 overweight participants and manipulated their eating habits through a behavioral neuroscience approach. They used a process called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate the neurological processes of the brain (3). Their research goal: Will an increase in brain activity in a certain part of the brain decrease food and drink intake, thus resulting in weight loss?
To determine this, the researchers focused on a part of the brain called the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC). This area of the brain is responsible for many higher cognitive critical functions including memory and attention. For this study, the researchers instead focused on the reward processing and behavior regulation associated within this cortex (4). In regards to this area of the brain, the level of cortical stimulation determines the ability of an individual to pay attention or control their behavior. So, according to Gluck and her co-researchers, continually reaching for more handfuls of sour cream and onion potato chips is simply just low levels of LDLPFC activity. Great! So how do we change that?
Our motherboard that sits between our ears is basically just a large, mushy electrical circuit board. Much like an actual computer, electrical activity is responsible for every process of cognition. So, to alter activity of the brain, the NIH researchers used the aforementioned transcranial direct-current stimulation process. This relatively simple device is a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the brain by applying direct, painless electrical currents to the brain (5). After a session of stimulation, a patient would have increased activity in LDLPFC, and ideally, a decreased affinity to deep-fried snacks.
Time for the big reveal… after brain stimulation, did the nine participants lose weight? Yes. After the study, the volunteers that underwent brain stimulation consumed less calories from soda and fatty foods. Additionally, they lost a small amount of weight and had no side-effects. Compared to the individuals that were given the placebo (fake stimulation), it seems that this pain-free process could be a viable weight loss option.
So what does this mean for the future of weight loss? Should Jenny Craig be nervous? While research is reshaping the way we think about weight loss, there is still a lot of research to be done to make conclusive statements. Even though the participants lost weight, it is very unrealistic for individuals to pay for transcranial direct current stimulation instead of cut down on soda (6). However, if people are willing to go through the rigors of Bootcamp on The Biggest Loser, the possibilities of weight loss solutions are endless.
There are many socio-cultural factors involved in the overweight era America is going through. But I think this research proposes an interesting and potentially very useful alternative to current weight loss programs that in many cases can lead to unhealthy eating patterns and harmful effects on people’s health. I think that the use of tCDS may serve as an alternative to invasive procedures, such as surgery, by losing weight through changing eating habits. It would be interesting to see if there’s a relationship between the effects of the tCDS treatment on the brain and the brain network related to addictive behaviors.
ReplyDeleteZach,
ReplyDeleteWhen choosing a post to make a comment on, I chose yours because it had the word “fat” in it. Being fat is accepted by our society today because of that 34% overweight rating you stated. People seem to care less and less about what they eat. Everything you put into your body plays a big role in how it functions and runs. Fatigue, mood and physical ability have quite a lot to do with diet. I think it’s really interesting that after the brain stimulation, all participants lost weight. I don’t think people need treatment from diet pills or brain stimulation. Instead, they should educate themselves on what they’re really in for. The number one cause of death in the U.S. is coronary heart disease. This disease is accumulated through high cholesterol and clogged arteries. People should steer away from eating any animal derived products, as plants contain 0% cholesterol and minimal fat. We are taught to eat certain foods growing up and continuously introduced to other foods. With the food right choices and willpower, one can achieve the ideal weight and health.
Hi Zach,
ReplyDeleteReally nice post. Super clear, concise, and informative. I really enjoyed: "Should Jenny Craig be nervous?" Maybe new diets will be through our nervous system. This post was somewhat sad for a variety of reasons though. Having such a large obese population is not awesome, and so is inventing ways for people to put less activity into losing weight. As for brain stimulation, I think as time goes on we will be able to find a lot more uses for it. Increased attention spans, better memory, or change in habit formation come to my mind. Actually, for this study I thought the scientists could have gone one step further, and have uses tDCS to manipulate habit forming regions (dorsal striatum, for example) in the brain, or at least observed these regions during the study. From my own experience and readings, I know breaking habits and forming habits usually takes around 3 weeks. If the habit forming region could somehow be inhibited during this period, maybe patients would no longer abide by their established diets. If all habits are inhibited, this may have some bad implications though. My last comment is about how non-invasive tDCS is. I am just a bit skeptical that if a diet requires a frequent tDCS, would not this build long term changes within the brain? If the tDCS is precise enough, I am sure it would not be so much of a problem, but will not regular stimulation change any neurons hit by the current? I am very excited to see what this tDCS may bring, and I am glad it is being tested for everyday purposes. Thanks for the great read!