The latest research results on deep brain stimulation (DBS) suggests it is helpful for severe, chronic depression. DBS is a simple surgical procedure that implants electrodes in parts of your brain. Once implanted, they emit tiny electrical pulses that help block the dysfunctional activity in your brain. The key to success in the procedure is for the neurosurgeon to carefully identify the right places to implant the electrodes, because if they end up in the wrong area of the brain, little benefit will be realized from the procedure (although there also appears to be minimal opportunity for harm as well).

Deep brain stimulation is not a new procedure, but its use in the treatment of depression (as well as severe OCD) is. It’s been used successfully for about 20 years in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

New research was presented on Tuesday at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting in Chicago. In the study, 15 people received the DBS electrode implants. These people had been suffering from severe depression for at least five years and had tried other forms of treatment with no success.

Six months later, 7 of the 15 subjects had at least a 50 percent reduction in their depressive symptoms, based on a commonly used depression scale. But even subjects who didn’t enjoy a 50 percent reduction in their symptoms still experienced some symptom reduction. All subjects said they would undergo the DBS procedure again (even if it didn’t significantly help them).

Keep in mind, people with severe depression and who’ve tried other forms of treatment with no success are often at the end of their ropes in terms of hope and finding a treatment that works for them. These are often the “worst of the worst,” and turn to these types of procedures in hope of finding relief from their depression. Even if only half of the patients studied enjoyed significant relief from the treatment, DBS appears to be a better treatment option than many others with far more severe side effects (ECT comes to mind, with its unpredictable memory loss).

I’m all for new treatments of severe depression, especially those that appear to be well-tolerated with few negative side effects. I hope future research into DBS for depression bears out these preliminary kinds of findings.

Read the full article: Brain Stimulation for Treatment Resistant Depression

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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  Research Update: Deep Brain Stimulation by medTRIALS.info (5/1/2008)

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 1 May 2008
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