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Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London have explored the viability of a home-based therapy for binge eating disorder (BED).

The innovative treatment integrates transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a gentle brain stimulation technique, with a targeted training program addressing maladaptive attention patterns related to food. Published in BJPsychOpen, the study showed the potential of this novel approach as a promising avenue for BED treatment.

BED, a severe mental health condition, transcends age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds. Characterized by recurrent episodes of uncontrollable food consumption leading to discomfort, BED is often accompanied by anxiety, low mood, and is intricately linked to obesity and metabolic complications.

Recognizing the imperative for novel therapeutic interventions, the study delves into the role of self-regulatory processes in perpetuating binge eating cycles. Innovative strategies like tDCS and attention bias modification training (ABMT) aim to address these underlying mechanisms.

TDCS, a non-invasive brain stimulation method, modulates prefrontal brain areas by administering mild electrical currents through scalp electrodes, according to Medical Express. Concurrently, ABMT targets and corrects cognitive biases towards food cues, facilitating self-regulatory control among individuals with BED.

The TANDEM trial, a pivotal component of the study, scrutinized the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of at-home tDCS combined with ABMT for BED treatment. Involving 82 overweight or obese participants meeting BED criteria, the trial allocated participants to four groups: 1. At-home self-administered tDCS during ABMT sessions, 2. Sham tDCS during ABMT sessions, 3. ABMT-only sessions, and 4. No treatment (waitlisted for 8 weeks).

The results were striking, indicating significant reductions in binge eating episodes and notable weight loss among participants receiving real tDCS with ABMT. Notably, participants reported decreased binge episodes from an average of 20 times per month to six times per month, accompanied by weight loss ranging from 3.5 to 4 kg over the six-week period.

The findings highlighted the potential of this innovative home treatment approach in mitigating binge eating behavior and fostering weight loss among individuals grappling with BED.