Anorexia nervosa is one of the most serious psychiatric disorders, with an increasing incidence in children and adolescents, an onset at an increasingly younger age and a high mortality rate. A recent clinical study conducted by researchers at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome has demonstrated the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, on the regulation of eating behaviour, opening up new perspectives for treatment. Preliminary results on the effectiveness of the new therapy, soon to be published, were presented in February at a medical conference on eating disorders held at the headquarters of the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome. The results were published today to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week (10-15 March).
The research of the Bambino Gesù Hospital. The clinical trial involved 64 patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at the hospital, aged between 10 and 18 years, the majority of whom were female (62 out of 64). The study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that began in 2020 and ended in February 2025. Patients were divided into two groups: one was treated with a placebo, the other with tDCS, a non-invasive method of brain stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a key area of the brain involved in behaviour control. The therapy involves the emission of a weak electrical current, which is not felt by the subject, delivered via two electrodes placed on the scalp. It was administered for 6 weeks, with 3 weekly sessions of 20 minutes each.
A promising therapy. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of the therapy in regulating eating behaviour. Specifically, it was observed that anorexia symptoms improved significantly in patients exposed to real stimulation, with stable and progressive benefits lasting up to 6 months after the end of treatment. Conversely, in the placebo group, improvements tended to wane over time. More specifically, improvements were observed in the tDCS group at the end of treatment and up to 6 months later, with the normalisation of several psychopathological symptoms associated with the risk of eating disorders (body dissatisfaction, inappropriate compensatory behaviours, obsession with thinness), as well as feelings of inadequacy, interpersonal and affective problems or broader psychological issues.
“These results suggest that non-invasive brain stimulation, combined with standard therapies including psychiatric, nutritional and psychological support, can increase the effectiveness of the treatment process,” said Floriana Costanzo, MD, head of the research project and psychologist at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital. The validity of tDCS opens new treatment prospects in the fight against anorexia nervosa in children and adolescents. Thanks to its simplicity, safety and low cost, this method could provide an easily accessible option to improve existing therapies and foster a more stable and lasting recovery”.
The study group. The study, funded by the Ministry of Health as part of a call for proposals for Targeted Research for Young Researchers, was coordinated by Floriana Costanzo, psychologist and research project manager, and by teams of clinicians and researchers from the Anorexia and Eating Disorders Unit and the Psychology Unit of the Bambino Gesù Hospital, led by Valeria Zanna and Deny Menghini. The two teams form part of the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, headed by Stefano Vicari. The Santa Lucia Foundation and the Luigi Vanvitelli University of Naples contributed to the study, in particular in the analysis of cerebral changes and changes in the stress response induced by the stimulation. The method and preliminary data collected during the study have already been published in Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience and in the Journal of Eating Disorders, as well as on Scientific Reports regarding the safety of the treatment.
Alarming increase. Over 3.5 million people in Italy suffer from eating disorders, 70% of whom are minors. More than 300,000 children show related symptoms, the mean age of onset is about 12 years, with alarming rates of increase among the 8-11 age bracket. According to the Bambino Gesù Hospital, “this trend is probably linked both to a lower age of puberty in girls and to the increasingly widespread use of social networks and their influence on the pursuit of unattainable beauty standards.” A 2022 survey found that 22% of children and young people had an eating disorder, with a higher incidence among girls. The Centre for Anorexia and Eating Disorders at the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome registered over 60% more cases of diagnosed nutrition and eating disorders since 2019. Specifically, more than 120 new cases of young and very young people suffering from anorexia nervosa were treated in the year 2024.
