Priscila Giacomo Fassini, Sai Krupa Das, Vivian Marques Miguel Suen, Greta Magerowski, Júlio Sérgio Marchini, Wilson Araújo da Silva Junior, Shen Changyu, Miguel Alonso-Alonso
The regulation of appetite is supported by dopamine-modulated brain circuits. Recent studies have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) aimed at increasing the excitability of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can reduce appetite, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown, and response variability is large. The aim of this study was to determine whether individual differences in Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism can influence tDCS effects on appetite. Thirty-eight adult women with obesity, classified as carriers or non-carriers of the Met allele, underwent a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled tDCS intervention involving three phases: Phase I, target engagement (immediate effects of tDCS on working memory performance), Phase II, tDCS only (10 sessions, two weeks), and Phase III, tDCS + hypocaloric diet: (6 sessions, two weeks, 30% energy intake reduction, inpatient)...
May 13, 2019: Appetite