Inner-brain electrode may curb depression
Deep-brain stimulation, an electrical treatment increasingly common for degenerative nerve disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, has now shown promise in treating severe depression.
People suffering from depression have a wide range of treatment options, including psychotherapy, drugs, and—in extreme cases—electroconvulsive therapy. According to the American Psychiatric Association, however, about 20 percent of patients don’t respond to any of the standard treatments.
Previous studies by Helen S. Mayberg at Emory University in Atlanta and her colleagues suggested that a brain region known as the subgenual cingulate is overactive in people with treatment-resistant depression.