Experimental brain surgery quelled cravings in 2 people with binge eating disorder

The first two patients to undergo experimental brain surgery for binge eating disorder say that one year later, they feel more in control of what they eat and have fewer cravings.

"I am fully aware of my cravings", Robyn Baldwin, 58, of Citrus Heights, California, told NBC News. "Sometimes, I can just stop, take a breath, and say, 'Nope'".

Baldwin, along with Lean Tolly, 48, of Elk Grove, California, underwent the surgery after failing to respond to other treatments for binge eating disorder.

It is the first time deep brain stimulation has been used to treat binge eating disorder. In the study, surgeons implanted a device that learned to detect when the patient had a craving to binge eat, and then deliver a small zap to the brain to lessen the craving.

Full article: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/experimental-brain-surgery-quelled-cravings-people-binge-eating-disord-rcna45245

Opinion

Obviously, this article is related to the Human ingenuity topic, the surgery that the news talks about is clearly a scientific innovation.

The main reason I picked this news is that I find it very interesting because of its topic. As far as I am concerned, scientists do not really know that much about our brain, there are still countless things that we do not know how they work, and I believe this surgery is a huge advance. 

After I read the article, I immediately thought about my grandfather's brother, who has Alzheimer's. Since the symptoms started, it has been hard, especially for his wife, who has to look after him almost all the time, even during the night. If this surgery helped two people with their binge eating disorder, why couldn't help people with Alzheimer's? Or other brain diseases? These kinds of advances in this field could help thousands of people.