DBS helped some anorexia patients eat more

A deep brain stimulation implant used in a small pilot study helped some patients with severe anorexia gain weight and boosted their moods. Reuters reports that the tiny trial, profiled in the medical journal The Lancet, involved use of a DBS implant in the brains of 6 patients with severe anorexia. Half of the patients demonstrated real gains from the implant, according to the story. The story notes that generating such positive results bodes well for larger clinical tests of the DBS implant, which has also been used to treat chronic pain and Parkinson's disease, as an anorexia treatment. Scientists at Krembil Neuroscience Centre and University Health Network in Canada conducted the research. Story | Study Abstract