New state-of-the-art research has shown that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) could help people with treatment-resistant depression.
DBS, already used to treat Parkinson’s disease, is an extreme treatment that requires the placement of electrodes deep into the brain; these are then connected to a battery pack in the chest which regulates the brains functions.
The technology, which carries on the work by Professor Helen Mayberg on people with Parkinson’s, stimulates a section of the brain called ‘Area 25′, which is often overactive in people with treatment-resistant depression.
DBS is still in the trial stages in America, with British scientists exploring its possible help in treating people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Currently only 300 – 400 people within the UK undergo DBS for Parkinson’s disease a year. Professor Mayberg said: “It will always be an exceptional and rare treatment.”