Treatment for Obesity Through Brain’s “Addiction” Center?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reportedly approved the use by
Ohio State University (OSU) investigators of brain pacemakers as an obesity
treatment. Deep-brain stimulation has apparently been approved for use
in the treatment of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, tremor, dystonia,
and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, and OSU researchers and clinicians
evidently made the case for use of the therapy to treat obesity in an
article recently published in Neurosurgery. According to OSU Professor of
Neurological Surgery Ali Rezai, the goal will be to stimulate the region of the
brain linked to addictive behavior to improve its function, regulation and
control. “Research shows that many of the complexities of obesity are traced
to faulty signals in the brain. Considering the heightened health risks in obese
individuals and the problems that some patients have after bariatric surgery,
it is reasonable to consider deep-brain stimulation as a treatment,” he said. See
Healthcanal.com, August 27, 2012.