Deep Brain Stimulation Improves Depression Symptoms

Deep brain stimulation is a device based therapy which involves implantation of electrodes within certain areas of the brain which produce electrical impulses. The amount of stimulation is controlled by a pacemaker-like device, which is placed in the upper chest. A wire connects this pacemaker-like device to the electrodes in the brain that travels under the skin. The deep brain stimulation devices are used for the treatment of dystonia, essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, stroke recovery, major depression and many others.

The effects of the therapy in a small group of patients were long-lasting, researchers say, adding to evidence that the approach works for treatment-resistant depression.

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Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, involves implanting a small neurostimulator into a patient’s brain to send out electrical impulses to specific brain regions. The approach is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, among other conditions, but has long been controversial in depression treatment due to mixed findings of the treatment’s effectiveness in the last couple decades.

The current study evaluated the mental health of people who had been fitted with the implants during the previous eight years. “Most patients experienced a robust and sustained antidepressant response” to the therapy, the authors write in their paper. About one-third of the participants experienced a full remission of symptoms, while half reported a reduction. The team also found no adverse health effects of the device itself, although the surgical procedure to implant it was associated with common surgical complications such as infection in some patients.

The increasing demand for deep brain stimulation device depends on the increasing aging population and rising incidences of neurosurgical disorders. Additionally, the technological advancements improving the DBS devices and increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures likely to add novel opportunities for the global deep brain stimulation devices market in the forecast period.

Symptoms

Each disease type has a variety of symptoms that patients may experience. Common ones are:

Dystonia

Involuntary muscle contractions occurring during specific actions (e.g. writing)

Muscle contractions worsen with stress, fatigue or anxiety

Epilepsy

Temporary confusion

A staring spell

Loss of consciousness

Uncontrollable jerking movements of arms or legs

Emotional responses such as fear, anxiety or déjà vu

Parkinson’s Disease

Tremor

Bradykinesia – slowing down of movement

Stiffness

Abnormal walking

Source: The Insight Partners & aans.org