Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure in which one or two small wires are inserted into the brain of an awake patient. The tip of each wire contains several electrodes that are used to inactivate, disrupt or normalize electrical activity in dysfunctional brain regions. The operation takes 8-12 hours and requires a team including a neurosurgeon, an electrophysiologist and neurologist. Risks with the procedure include haemorrhage, infection, reactive tissue response and neurological problems due to electrode misalignment or damage to surrounding tissue (1-3% of operations result in serious complications). DBS is standard treatment for refractory Parkinson's disease, tremor and dystonia, and is occasionally used treat of cluster headaches, epilepsy, obsessive compulsive disorders and depression. The cost of the procedure is €30.000 (not counting the cost of regular follow-ups). With over 40.000 patients since 1997, Medtronic's Activa system, depicted below, is the most widely used DBS implant.
St Jude Medical
NeuroNexus Technologies
Neuropace
Deep brain stimulation to reward circuitry
DBS to the reward circuit turns out to be an extremely effective treatment for various psychiatric conditions: in February of 2009 Medtronic received FDA approval to use the procedure to treat obsessive compulsive disorder, and clinical trials for depression, potentially a much larger patient group, are well under way (read the press release here).
Blog: What we need to accelerate biomedical research and fight aging, Using Medtronic's Reclaim implant to generate artificial motivation
Relevant links
MedtronicSt Jude Medical
NeuroNexus Technologies
Neuropace
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