Brain pacemaker can treat depression

Two of the largest and longest studies so far show a '' Brain pacemaker '' can effcctively treat depression and obsessive- compulsive disorder ( OCD) researchers said.

Devices implanted in the chest with leads that send electrical inpulses to parts of the brain, have already been appproved to treat mobement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, essential trewmor and dystonia.

Dr Ali Rezai head of neurosurgery at the Eleveland Clinic who led the sudies said the techniqueknown as deep brain stimylation helped the nost severely depressed patients improve significantly. Researchers from Butler Hospital Brown Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harward Medical School were also involved in the depression study.

Severteen patients diagnosed as having major depressive disorder were followed for a year and demonstrated overall improvement in mood as well as social and occupational functioning .

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Rate It:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5