A Promising Approach for Difficult-to-Treat Depression: Deep Brain Stimulation

The National Institutes of Health estimates that in 2020, approximately 21 million people in the United States will experience at least one major depressive episode

Deep brain stimulation of brain regions associated with reward and motivation could serve as a potential treatment for depression, a study has found

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the superior lateral branch of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which is associated with motivation and reward, revealed 12 months after DBS implantation, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The results of the study, which included 10 patients, were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry

"It's something that people have been trying for a long time, but we haven't always been very successful in using DBS to treat mental illness," said lead author Dr.

DBS has long been used to treat people with movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease, tremor and dystonia, and has also been investigated as a potential treatment for treatment-resistant depression

However, determining which area of ​​the brain should be the long-term target for treating depression has been difficult

"We're targeting a bundle of fibers that leave this small area of ​​the brainstem and go to other areas of the brain," Conner said

Before undergoing DBS surgery, the researchers performed baseline PET scans on 10 study participants

"Response to treatment means your depression is likely to be reduced by at least 50 percent; you'll feel better," said co-author João de Quevedo, PhD, Louis A.