Dr. Salah El Mestikawy: A hopeful treatment : Dementia drug could also help people with eating disorders
Published on: 2024-09-15
A new study, led by Dr Salah Mestikawy and published this summer, reveals that donepezil, a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s, could also be effective against eating disorders such as anorexia.
By testing this drug on genetically modified mice, the research team observed significant improvements. Compassionate trials on human patients have also shown promising results, paving the way for a possible revolution in the treatment of anorexia.
Our theory is that eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders share a common core: compulsion. We do things over and over again, despite their negative consequences. It’s like a broken record in the brain, ordering us to do things over and over again.- Dr Salah Mestikawy
Donepezil could inhibit compulsion, enabling habits to be changed through psychotherapy.
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Media: Website
Source: La Presse