Key Points:
- Mounjaro brain cravings study shows the drug reduces early brain signals linked to food cravings.
- Craving-related brain activity returns after 5–7 months.
- Small but promising research suggests potential biomarkers for monitoring eating behavior.
Researchers have, for the first time, measured how tirzepatide (brand name: Mounjaro) affects specific brain signals linked to food cravings. This Mounjaro brain cravings study suggests the diabetes and weight loss drug may modulate activity in the nucleus accumbens, a key region of the brain’s reward system.
The study included three adults with severe obesity who struggled with controlling eating and had not responded to previous weight loss treatments. All three participants had undergone bariatric surgery but continued to experience intrusive thoughts about food.
Brain Activity Monitored With Implants
Two participants received deep-brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens. The third participant, who had type 2 diabetes, was prescribed tirzepatide and coincidentally increased the dose around the time of brain implant surgery. As part of the Mounjaro brain cravings study, Researchers used electrodes inserted into the nucleus accumbens to record brain activity during food cravings.
When participants reported intense food thoughts, the nucleus accumbens produced stronger delta-theta signals. These signals are associated with reward and motivation in mammal brains. In the participant taking tirzepatide, episodes of severe food preoccupation sharply declined over four months. During this period, delta-theta activity remained similar to periods without cravings, indicating a possible suppression of the brain signals linked to food motivation.
Effects Diminish Over Time
Five to seven months after surgery, the participant on tirzepatide began experiencing increasing food cravings, despite remaining on the maximum dose. Correspondingly, delta-theta signals in the nucleus accumbens increased again.
“Our findings raise the possibility that this delta–theta band oscillation could serve as a target engagement biomarker, but its relationship to food preoccupation warrants more controlled investigation,” the study authors said.
Drugs Mimic Natural Hormone
Mounjaro belongs to a class of medications that imitate a natural hormone in the body, reducing appetite and slowing digestion. Similar drugs include Wegovy and Ozempic, which are widely used for diabetes and weight management.
Preliminary but Promising Results
The Mounjaro brain cravings study, published in Nature Medicine, is very small and lacks a control group, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn. Still, it is one of the first in-human investigations examining the direct effects of Mounjaro on brain activity. Researchers hope these early findings can guide future studies and help identify biomarkers for monitoring drug effects on eating behavior.
The research adds to growing evidence that weight-loss drugs may influence both physiological and neurological pathways, offering new insights into how medications could help regulate eating habits in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
