Study of Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression Fails to Demonstrate Efficacy
From: Medical Design Technology - 07/28/2015

Because of the clinical urgency, deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments for
depression have been developed over the past 15 years. These treatments
require surgery to make a small hole in the skull through which an electrode
is passed into a specific brain region. Once positioned, a standard
electrical stimulation procedure is initiated, which is modeled after highly
effective DBS treatments that are used for Parkinson's disease, essential
tremor, and other neurologic conditions.

In the current issue of Biological Psychiatry, Dr. Darin Dougherty and his
colleagues report the results of the first large-scale, randomized,
sham-controlled trial of deep brain stimulation treatment for
treatment-resistant symptoms of depression. Thirty patients received active
DBS or sham 'placebo' stimulation for 16 weeks, targeted at the ventral
capsule and ventral striatum, brain regions implicated in reward and
motivation. A two-year open-label continuation phase followed.

This study, conducted at five medical centers across the US that collaborated
on the project, failed to find that DBS reduced depression symptoms better
than sham stimulation.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2015/07/study-deep-brain-stimulation-depression-fails-demonstrate-efficacy

Related:
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http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-made-people-more-creative-using-electrical-stimulation

Scientists use brain stimulation to boost creativity, set stage to potentially
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150416093823.htm

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