Study Reveals Benefits of Treating Patients Battling Severe Depression with Deep Brain Stimulation

A new study sponsored by St. Jude Medical, Inc. shows significant improvements in depression symptoms among patients who are highly treatment-resistant, according to the results of the first multi-center pilot study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for major depressive disorder, published last week by the Journal of Neurosurgery. The study was conducted at three research facilities in Canada, and designed to replicate and build upon an earlier study by Dr. Andres Lozano and Dr. Helen Mayberg that was published in the journal Neuron in 2005.

Research results showed that DBS therapy targeting an area of the brain called Brodmann Area 25 provided noticeable improvement in depression symptoms and increased overall quality of life for patients who typically are unresponsive to treatment. The study enrolled 21 patients who suffered from depression for 20 years on average, had tried in excess of 16 depression medications and were considered disabled or unable to work at the time of enrollment. For more information, click here to read the full release.