State-of-the-Art of Surgical Therapies for Psychiatric Disorders: Depression

Abstract

The introduction and widespread use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been a major advance in neurosurgery. With the extensive experience in the use of DBS in Parkinson’s disease, the possibility of using DBS to treat other disorders including psychiatric disease has been made possible. To date, several psychiatric disorders including Tourette’s syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Depression are being studied. Multiple brain targets are being used for these disorders including the anterior limb of the internal capsule, the nucleus accumbens, the globus pallidus and various thalamic nuclei and outflow tracts. Of importance, they appear to be disorders of circuitry and indeed it may be possible to ameliorate these psychiatric symptoms at various points along the circuits that, control limbic and cognitive functions.