Two weeks later, the patient decided to lose weight as well. She changed her diet with the help of a dietitian and began to lose weight steadily. Soon afterward, she began an exercise program. By 10 months, she had achieved her weight loss goal of nearly 100 pounds (body mass index 25). Two years later, she had kept the weight off and was still not smoking. Her OCD symptoms also stayed under control.

The changes were not immediate, but after the OCD symptoms disappeared, the patient "reported having tranquility in her head for the first time in many years," Dr. Denys and colleagues write. "This gave her the possibility to stop her compulsions and subsequently to think about other habits she wanted to change." Once she made the decision to stop smoking and overeating, "she banished them both effortlessly from her life."

Although it's just one case, the results are consistent with research showing that compulsive behaviors are related to the brain reward system, which involves the nucleus accumbens. The "hyperactive" responses observed in these areas of the brain in patients with OCD are similar to those elicited by smoking, overeating, and compulsive drug use.

"Together these findings suggest that deep brain stimulation DBS of the nucleus accumbens might be able to suppress symptoms of various disorders in which the pathophysiology involves the brain reward circuitry, of which the nucleus accumbens is a critical relay station," the researchers write. However, more research will be needed to confirm these preliminary results, and to understand how deep brain stimulation works to relieve OCD symptoms and other compulsive behaviors.

Source: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins