These injections, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, mimic a hormone released by the body after eating, and slow down stomach emptying, giving a feeling of fullness quickly and for a longer period.
Now, recent studies have revealed how these drugs work in the brain, which may open the door to their use in treating other conditions, including chronic pain.
More recently, scientists discovered that one such drug, terzepatide (trade name: Mongaro), affects brain waves, helping to suppress hunger signals. Many users of the injection report that they stop overthinking food after using it.
Excessive thinking about food is a common problem, affecting about 60% of obese people, according to a US survey of semaglutide users presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference.
This thinking is particularly evident in people with anorexia nervosa, who reduce their food intake for fear of gaining weight, leading to a constant preoccupation with food and dieting.
Studies have shown that Mongaro slows down brain waves known as delta-theta oscillations, which are associated with overthinking food. A previous study published in Nature Medicine demonstrated that low-frequency electrical activity in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region that regulates motivation, pleasure, and impulse control, increases before the urge to overeat, not just when hunger strikes.
To understand this phenomenon, three patients suffering from severe food-related noises underwent electrode implantation in their nucleus accumbens after gastric bypass surgery, behavioral therapy, or conventional medication had failed. They were instructed to use the device both when they felt hungry and when they didn't, to record brain signals. Only one of the three, a 60-year-old woman, was taking Mongaroo.
The results showed that the other participants exhibited significant increases in delta-theta waves when exposed to food sounds, while the woman who consumed Mongaro showed almost no increase in brain wave activity and did not experience food-related seizures. After five months, a slight increase in her delta-theta waves was observed, suggesting that Mongaro's effect was temporary.
Casey Halpern, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and lead author of the study, said these findings could help develop new ways to treat binge eating and possibly other conditions, including chronic pain, stressing the importance of continued research to extend the duration of the drug's effect and reduce the need for surgical intervention.
Conversely, some experts have cautioned against generalizing the results to the entire population, such as Dr. Simon Cork of Anglia Ruskin University, who described the findings as "interesting, but relating to only one patient's case."
