Energy balance
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) using metabolically optimized settings (specifically Contact 1) increases resting metabolic rate (RMR) and promotes weight loss in patients with refractory obesity, whereas standard movement disorder settings do not.
This finding applies to a very specific subset of individuals: those with severe, refractory obesity who have already undergone bariatric surgery without success. For the general population, this is not a practical intervention. However, for these patients, standard stimulation settings fail, but optimizing the stimulation to target the lateral hypothalamic area (specifically Contact 1) can significantly boost metabolic rate and aid weight loss. This suggests that metabolic rate suppression is a key barrier in refractory obesity that can be mechanically overridden.
promising weight loss trends have been observed when monopolar DBS stimulation has been applied via specific contacts found to increase the resting metabolic rate measured in a respiratory chamber.
Why this rating
Pilot study with only 3 patients; results are preliminary and not statistically powered for generalization.
Source
Lateral hypothalamic area deep brain stimulation for refractory obesity: a pilot study with preliminary data on safety, body weight, and energy metabolism
Donald Whiting et al. · Journal of neurosurgery · 2013
DOI 10.3171/2013.2.jns12903
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