Cerebral stimulation to cure depression

Cerebral stimulation for depression seems to be to stay. On Monday, October 4, 2021, it will be marked in the history of neurosciences. At the University of California, A patient was implanted in the skull a brain stimulation device deep with the aim of intervening in a personalized circuit involved in the depressive symptoms suffered from childhood. Without a doubt, it is a fact that marks a before and after in the world of neurosciences and depression. Do you want to deepen the reader about this case? Let's start!

Content

• Background
• Sarah's case
• Sarah cranial stimulation
• Conclusion
  • Bibliography

Background

Brain stimulation emerged there in 2003 as a method that promised good results within the field of neurosciences. At present, the Scangos team (2021) wanted to deepen its use and have discovered that Personalized brain stimulation could be effective in depression. That is, by adapting the stimulation to each patient, each case could be treated concretely. For this, direct neural records and intracranial stimulation have meant very useful tools to assess the possibility of establishing a precise approach to the dysfunctional circuits.

By identifying the dysfunctional circuits, it seeks to change the symptoms experienced by the individual. Previous studies have shown that stimulation based on the concrete anatomy of a patient can improve depression levels. Therefore, in the first place, it is essential.

Sarah's case

The patient, which Sarah has been called, He is 36 years old and suffers a major treatment disorder resistant to treatment. The beginning of their depressive episodes date back to childhood and in their family there is a history of suicide. Sarah I have had three different episodes of depression throughout his life, with periods in which he has noticed some improvement. The most recent episode symptoms date back 4 years and included cognitive deficits, lack of energy and anhedonia. During the last episode, Sarah did not respond to the four antidepressant medications that were prescribed.

Sarah cranial stimulation

Due to Sarah's profile and its resistance to treatment, it was registered with the clinical trial of Magnetic Circuit Stimulation customized to treat major depression. The essay included a 10 -day exploration stage in which Ten electrodes of stereoelectroencephalography were implanted (SEEG) In the orbitofrontal cortex, the tonsil, the hippocampus, the ventral and ventral striated capsule and in the subgenual cingulada cortex.

The objective of this previous exploration was to stimulate the selected areas to establish a personalized treatment. Through a Likert type scale, the patient's subjective responses were evaluated in parameters such as depression, energy and anxiety. The scanos team, He noted that a stimulation of periods of 3 minutes, improved Sarah's symptoms. Specifically, the areas that best responded were 3: the orbitofrontal cortex, the ventral capsule and the ventral striatum and the subgenual cingulad.

Once the efficacy of stimulation for three -minute periods were proven, they tested 10 minutes stimulation. The researchers observed that the response to the stimulation directly affected the central symptoms of depression. Through research in relation to stimulated areas, the duration of stimulation and frequency, A personalized stimulation treatment for Sarah was performed that was implemented to control its depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

This new milestone within neurosciences presents a new point of view. It's about the Implementation of a chronic neuromodulator device whose previous phase is hospitalization for 10 days with the aim of stimulating and mapping the different dysfunctional areas of the patient. In this way, it seeks to improve the depressive symptoms and the mood of patients whose success with pharmacological antidepressant treatments has not been significant.

The chronic implant stimulation circuit aims Vary stimulation parameters in response to neural networks. That is, the closed device detects the changes of these neural networks and triggers the necessary stimulation. The conceptual framework from which this type of intervention starts is that intermittent stimulation in short intervals can be a means to treat chronic long -term depression.

Bibliography

• Scangos, k., Makhoul, g., Sugue, l., Chang, e. And Krystal, to. (2021). State-Dependent Responsible to intracranial brain stimulation in a patient with depression. Nature Medicine, 27, 229-231.