Is Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (RTMS) a Promising Therapeutic Intervention for Eating Disorders and Obesity? Clinical Considerations Based on a Meta-Analytic Review.

Objective: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been introduced to treat eating disorders (EDs), especially Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa (AN and BN) and other EDs not otherwise specified (NOS). Provisional rTMS single-case studies and clinical trials have been carried out for the treatment of binge eating disorder (BED) and obesity. However, it is still unclear whether and to what extent rTMS might be considered an effective intervention for these conditions. Method: This meta-analysis includes 15 independent studies examining the clinical effects of rTMS among different EDs and obesity (N = 402 patients). Several primary and secondary treatment outcomes have been considered. Cohen's d was used as an effect size measure. The analyses estimate heterogeneity across findings, sources of variability and publication bias together with an assessment of the quality of the studies. Results: The analyses show that rTMS induced large improvements in body mass index (BMI) among obese individuals. Null clinical effects have been detected for primary outcomes (i.e., BMI, binge eating and compensatory behaviors; urge to binge and to eat; severity of EDs symptoms) among individuals with AN, BN and other EDs-NOS. rTMS shows moderate therapeutic effects on the affective functioning (i.e., negative affectivity, depressive and anxious symptoms) of individuals with EDs. rTMS should be considered a promising intervention for the treatment of obesity. Conclusions: This evidence might provisionally support the hypothesis on the implementation of rTMS for BED. Furthermore, rTMS could be included as an ancillary intervention for the other EDs, especially considering secondary treatment outcomes. Future controlled trials are needed to clarify the clinical effects of rTMS for EDs.

Sleep architecture modifications after double chronotherapy: A case series of bipolar depressed inpatients.

The aim of this study is to objectively evaluate sleep architecture changes of depressed bipolar subjects treated with chronoterapeutics. Eleven depressed bipolar inpatients received 3 cycles of Total Sleep Deprivation, followed by daily light therapy sessions for one week. Polysomnography was performed before and after the treatment. Depressive symptoms significantly reduced, and sleep architecture changed with significant differences in N2% and N3% and REM density. Change in N3% was also positively correlated to depressive symptoms reduction. Although, previous studies reported sleep architecture changes after chronoterapeutics in unipolar depression, this is the first study to demonstrate changes also in bipolar depressed subjects.

Eyes wide open: A systematic review of the association between insomnia and aggression in forensic contexts.

Sleep quality has been highlighted as a significant predictor of violent behavior through lifespan and across pathologies and a causal link has also been suggested. Despite the high prevalence of insomnia and its potential impact as a modifiable risk factor for aggressive behavior, a comprehensive synthesis of the literature is lacking. We aimed to systematically review the published works exploring the role of sleep in aggressive behaviors, especially focusing on forensic contexts. We performed a systematic review searching the electronic databases PubMed and Scopus through December 2020 and selected articles that compared sleep of offenders and controls and articles that studied the association between sleep and aggression. Ten articles were selected: 2 compared sleep in offenders and controls and 8 studied the association between sleep and aggression. Offenders showed worse sleep features than control both objectively and subjectively measured. Sleep quality was associated with aggression, but sleep quantity was less studied. Sleep seems to have a prominent role in aggressive behaviors but studies concerning this topic are few; samples and methods were highly heterogeneous and most studies were cross-sectional. Future studies are needed to clarify the association between sleep disturbances and aggression, adopting a more systematized approach. Sleep assessment and treatment and might be particularly useful, especially in high-risk populations.