Depression treatment device to be embedded in the brain is developed

Research on depression has been done many, and 'effective cold shower to the improvement of depression' study result that and 'urban living will increase the risk of depression,' research results , such as exists. Meanwhile, a research team at the University of California, San Francisco has developed a new treatment for depression called 'embedding a device that gives electrical stimulation to the brain.'

Closed-loop neuromodulation in an individual with treatment-resistant depression | Nature Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01480-w

Treating Severe Depression with On-Demand Brain Stimulation | UC San Francisco
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2021/09/421541/treating-severe-depression-demand-brain-stimulation

The research team has developed an improved version of the electrical stimulation device used in 'Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy (DBS), ' a technology that applies electrical stimulation to the brain to suppress activity in specific areas. The problems of the conventional DBS and the features of the newly developed device are explained in the following movie.

Personalized Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy (DBS)-YouTube


Prior to this study, research on DBS was widespread, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved DBS for treatment of Parkinson's disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, according to the research team, the conventional DBS gives only 'always constant electrical stimulation' to 'one area of the brain', so the therapeutic effect on depression was limited.

To solve the above problems, the research team improved the electrical stimulation device used in DBS to make it possible to recognize brain activity patterns, targeting 'different areas of the brain for each patient' and 'symptoms of depression'. 'Electrical stimulation is given when a peculiar brain activity pattern is recognized at the time of expression.'

'It took four to eight weeks for traditional depression treatments to take effect,' said Andrew Crystal , a member of the research team. It lasted for more than 15 months. '

Sarah, who was the subject of a device developed by the research team, said, 'In the first few months, the symptoms of depression were significantly reduced. I wasn't sure if the symptoms would continue to improve. But it continued. '

'We need to find out how the effects of the newly developed device change between different patients, and as treatment continues, each patient's brain circuit takes time,' said Catherine Scangos, a member of the research team. We need to see if it changes with it, 'he said, indicating that he intends to continue testing in multiple patients with depression.