Editor's Summary
7 July 2005
Think electric
A medical technique called deep brain stimulation hit the headlines last week when Helen Mayberg, a neurologist at Emory University's school of medicine, reported its use in six patients with depression. Already an established therapy for Parkinson's disease, this 'pacemaker for the brain' is being touted as a treatment for a variety of mental disorders.
News Feature: Neuroscience: Deep in thought
Electrodes implanted in the brain could transform the lives of psychiatric patients. Alison Abbott watched an operation to release a man from his obsessive thoughts.
doi:10.1038/436018a
