The first placebo-controlled trial of deep brain stimulation in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and bipolar II disorder has yielded encouraging findings. In 12 patients who received chronic stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate white matter over 2 years, 92% showed a clinical improvement and 58% were in remission. Spontaneous relapses from remission did not occur. Moreover, the approach seemed to be safe for long-term use and was not associated with manic symptoms, as has been reported for DBS of other brain regions.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Holtzheimer, P. E. et al. Subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar depression. Arch. Gen. Psych. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1456
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Deep brain stimulation shows promise for depression. Nat Rev Neurol 8, 62 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2012.4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2012.4