This is a study of overweight men and women. Everybody will receive a very low calorie diet to eat in place of meals for 10 weeks. During the last two weeks of the diet, half of the patients will receive an intervention to activate parts of their brain that can help them eat less. The other half of the patient will receive a placebo or sham intervention. The intervention will involve a small electric current given every day for 10 days. Everybody will be monitored for 16 more weeks (total of 26 weeks) while on a weight maintenance diet to see if the intervention helps people keep the weight off.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
13
Brain modulation using Eldith/Neuroconn transcranial Direct Current Stimulation device
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Change in weight from week 11 to 26
Patients will be placed on a very low calorie diet from baseline to week 11. The primary end point is the maintenance of weight loss from week 11 to week 26 after the very low calorie diet is stopped.
Time frame: Week 11 to 26
Change in appetite hormones on mixed meal challenge test
Appetite hormones such as ghrelin change in response to nutrition. Dieting increases ghrelin and decreases other appetite hormones. We will assess if the brain modulation intervention will prevent the dieting induced increase in ghrelin and changes in other appetite hormones.
Time frame: Week 0 to 8, 11 and 26
Change in appetite
Degree of hunger (or satiety) can be assessed by use of visual analog scale and monitoring food intake diaries and questionnaires. We will assess if the brain modulation intervention can prevent the diet induced increases in appetite using the visual analog scale, food diary and questionnaires.
Time frame: Week 0 to 8, 11, 18 and 26
Change in body composition
Weight loss can affect both fat mass and muscle (lean) mass. We will assess if the weight loss by low-calorie diet and weight maintenane facilitated by brain modulation will preferentially affect fat mass or lean mass by use of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Time frame: Week 0 to 8 and 26
Change in metabolic parameters
Weight loss and successful weight loss maintenance can improve insulin resistance (risk for diabetes mellitus) and cholesterol profile. We will assess the changes in risk for diabetes and cholesterol from the low-calorie diet and brai modulation mediated weight maintenance.
Time frame: Week 0 to 8, 11, 18, 26
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