Brain Surgery Under Study As Depression Treatment

CLEVELAND -- Researchers are reviewing a unique brain surgery to treat the most severe cases of clinical depression.
The Cleveland Clinic and Brown University researchers are studying candidates to determine whether a brain surgery that helps stop tremors in Parkinson's disease patients can also help treat major depression. It's a surgery with potentially serious risks.
"It's a very precise surgery, you have to be precise to 1 mm, otherwise you may be in the wrong place," said Cleveland Clinic researcher Dr. Ali Rezai.
The surgery is called deep brain stimulation, which it uses high-resolution imaging. Surgeons place tiny electrical devices in the area of the brain that controls mood. They then implant pacemakers in the chest and connect it to the electrical devices. The signals help fine-tune abnormal brain activity. ...

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Brain Stimulator Takes Time to Fight Depression, But Benefit Lasts

A brain implant can help fight depression in patients for whom other treatments are ineffective, but the therapy can take as long as a year to show benefit, reveals new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
In a small study, researchers followed 24 patients who were implanted with vagus nerve stimulators (VNS) after other treatments proved ineffective in battling their severe depression.
Brain scans revealed changes in brain activity three months in to implant therapy and continued to evolve over 21. "The effects come after a significant period of treatment time," reports lead investigator Charles Conway, M.D. "In psychiatry, we're used to seeing results after six to 12 weeks."
Scientists also observed parallels between the brain changes and mood improvements in the patients. The brain scans revealed changes similar to those induced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a controversial depression treatment from which benefits are often short-lived....

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