Food is supposed to fuel the body, but for some, it can feel more like a challenge than a basic need. Treatments like therapy and medication help many, but not everyone experiences the same results. This has led researchers to explore other options, like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation that directly targets the areas of the brain contributing to disordered eating behaviors. So, does TMS help with eating disorders?
Early evidence suggests it just might. This article will break down eating disorders, how TMS works, and the research that’s supportive of its effectiveness.
What Are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can change the way someone eats, thinks, and feels about food. They can affect all aspects of one’s life, from their physical and mental health to their relationships and daily functioning. Without professional treatment, eating disorders can progress into something much worse, potentially becoming life-threatening.
Types of Eating Disorders
An eating disorder is actually an umbrella that encompasses various types of disordered eating. These include:
- Anorexia nervosa: extreme food restriction that can lead to dangerous weight loss and medical complications
- Bulimia nervosa: patterns of binge eating followed by purging behaviors like vomiting or laxatives
- Binge eating disorder: frequent episodes of eating large amounts of food, feeling shame or guilt afterwards
- Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): limiting food due to fear, sensory issues, or lack of interest in eating
- Other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED): disordered eating that doesn’t fit a single diagnosis but is still dangerous
- Pica: eating non-food substances, like paper, dirt, or chalk
- Rumination disorder: repeatedly regurgitating food, sometimes swallowing it again or spitting it out
Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
Signs and symptoms will vary depending on the specific disorders; however, there are some common overlapping ones to watch for:
- Ongoing fatigue, dizziness, or fainting
- Noticeable or unexplained weight changes
- Hair loss or thinning
- Refusal to eat or avoidance of certain foods
- Eating unusually large amounts of food in a short time
- Purging behaviors, such as vomiting or using laxatives
- Excessive or compulsive exercise
- Regular trips to the bathroom after meals
- Hiding food or creating rigid food rituals
Traditional Treatments for Eating Disorders
The standard treatment for eating disorders typically involves:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to address negative thoughts and behaviors around food and body image
- Medications such as antidepressants or antipsychotics to manage co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, or OCD
- Nutritional counseling with a registered dietician to create realistic meal plans, provide grocery and meal prep guidance, and support healthy eating patters
For many people, combining these strategies works best. Still, recovery isn’t promised. Research shows that only about half of patients with eating disorders reach full recovery.
How TMS Can Help Treat Eating Disorders?
TMS is being explored as a treatment for eating disorders because it targets the areas of the brain that influence appetite, cravings, and self-control. The therapy uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain that are usually underactive or misfiring in people with eating disorders.
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is one part of the brain that helps regulate hunger and satiety signals, as well as manages impulses. In eating disorders, those functions can be interrupted, thus leading to cycles of bingeing, restricting, purging, or obsessive food-related thoughts.
Research suggests that stimulating the DLPFC and its connected regions can lead to:
- Stronger control over food cravings and choices
- Improved regulation of emotions tied to eating
- Reduced reliance on maladaptive behaviors like dietary restraint or purging
Other areas of the brain are also being studied. For example, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex is responsible for suppressing unwanted emotional responses, while the insula helps process body awareness and feeding behavior.
Research on TMS for Eating Disorders
While TMS treatment for eating disorders is still new and being studied, the research offers hope. Findings include:
- In a study of patients with anorexia nervosa, participants not only gained weight but also reported improvements in symptoms like constant feelings of fullness, fear of fatness, and elevated anxiety. Improved mood and quality of life were maintained 18 months later.
- Studies found decreases in bingeing and purging episodes, with some individuals reaching full remission. Depressive symptoms and food cravings also improved alongside eating behaviors.
- Another study found nearly 90% of participants said cravings decreased, and about 87% felt more control over their eating. More than 80% said they rarely ate to the point of discomfort after treatment, and participants lost an average of 1.8 kg within a month.
Who’s a Candidate for TMS Therapy for an Eating Disorder?
TMS isn’t usually the first step in treating an eating disorder. It may be considered when someone hasn’t improved with treatments like therapy or medication. It may also be an option for people who can’t tolerate medication side effects.
In most cases, candidates of TMS should be medically stable. Those in a severe or life-threatening stage of an eating disorder require more intensive care, such as inpatient treatment or rehab, before TMS can be considered.
What to Expect During TMS Treatment for Eating Disorders
A standard TMS session lasts about 20 to 40 minutes. Sessions are scheduled five days a week and continue over several weeks. There’s no need for sedation, needles, or a hospital stay. Patients sit in a chair awake, while magnetic pulses are delivered through a coil placed on the scalp.
Treatment isn’t painful, though some people describe the tapping sensation as unusual at first. Expect small changes in mood and cravings over the course of treatment, rather than expecting them to show up all at once.
Is TMS for Eating Disorders Safe?
TMS is considered safe for most patients, with a risk of mild and temporary side effects. These may include:
- Headache
- Scalp discomfort where the coil is placed
- Brief facial twitching during the session
One advantage of TMS is that it doesn’t circulate medication through the whole body. This makes TMS a safer option for patients who can’t tolerate antidepressants, antipsychotics, or other drugs used alongside eating disorder treatment.
Recovery is Possible With Cura Behavioral Health
Recovering from an eating disorder is an achievable goal when you have support you can count on. At Cura Behavioral Health, we’re committed to bringing innovative treatments like TMS into a setting where care is personal and collaborative. Our clinicians work with you to understand the patterns that are keeping you stuck, so that they can build a treatment plan that’s built around you.
If you’re looking for compassionate care and a team that truly listens, reach out today. We’re here to help you and your family heal.
Sources:
- Predictors of recovery in eating disorders: A focus on different definitions – International Journal of Eating Disorders
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: A New Possibility in Obesity Treatment – The Open Neurology
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Strategies in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa: A Literature Review – The American Journal of Psychiatry
- Neuromodulation of Eating Disorders: A Review of Underlying Neural Network Activity and Neuromodulatory Treatments – Brain Sciences
- Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in the Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa (BN): A Review and Insight into Potential Mechanisms of Action – Journal of Clinical Medicine
- ExoTMS transcranial magnetic stimulation for the reduction of binge eating symptoms – Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports
