Photo Credit: Kubkoo

Accelerated continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) seems promising for treating obesity for individuals with schizophrenia, according to a study published in Schizophrenia Bulletin. Dongyu Kang, MD, and colleagues conducted a double-blind, randomized trial to examine the efficacy of noninvasive magnetic stimulation techniques in reducing obesity among individuals with schizophrenia. Forty overweight individuals with schizophrenia were recruited and randomly assigned to active intervention, which included 50 accelerated cTBS sessions over the left primary motor area, or sham intervention. The active group had a significant decrease in body weight and BMI after the intervention that persisted at the 1-month follow-up. Additionally, the active group’s scores on the Barratt Impulsivity Scale decreased, which mediated the effect of accelerated cTBS on body weight. After the active intervention, the late positive potential component, which is related to motivated attention and emotional processing, decreased in frontal brain regions and increased in posterior regions during the food picture cue electroencephalograph task.