Overview
- Intracranial recordings in three people with severe obesity linked intrusive food preoccupation to low-frequency delta–theta activity in the nucleus accumbens.
- Therapeutic deep brain stimulation of this region in two participants dampened the signal and coincided with reduced food preoccupation during stimulation.
- In a third participant prescribed tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound), months after dose escalation showed near-silent accumbens activity and minimal cravings captured in real time.
- By about five months, the craving-linked activity and symptoms reappeared despite ongoing maximal tirzepatide, indicating a temporary effect in this case.
- The first-in-human observations come from an uncontrolled, tiny cohort in a Penn trial enrolling four participants, with authors noting a provisional patent and outside experts urging rigorous follow-up.