A rare glimpse into the brain activity of a patient with obesity and loss of control eating on tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, revealed that the medication suppresses signaling in the brain's "reward center" thought to be involved in food noise – but only temporarily.
Research suggests that the medication, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist, originally developed to manage Type 2 diabetes, may be able to treat a wide range of conditions involving impulse control, like binge eating disorder.But although there may be tantalizing clues for helping patients with unwanted impulses, GLP-1 and GIP inhibitors may not be optimally designed to treat them sufficiently and need further research, according to a case study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published today in Nature Medicine.
"This study offers major insights into how these drugs may work inside the brain and will guide us as we explore new indications," said senior author Casey H. Halpern, MD, a professor of Neurosurgery, and head of the Division of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. "Until we better understand their action on the brain, it's far too soon to call GLP-1 and GIP inhibitors miracle drugs for more conditions beyond type 2 diabetes and obesity."
