OCD and Depression Respond to Treatment with Brain Pacemaker
Data collected thus far from two different studies indicates the benefits of using a brain pacemaker for patients with either obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or depression. Both of the trials were led by a team based at the Cleveland Clinic. News of the study findings were printed by Reuters. The data described herein was presented at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
Other institutions that participated in the trial include Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Butler Hospital of Brown Medical School. Patients had pacemakers implanted into the chest, available from Medtronic, to provide deep brain stimulation. This includes leads which send electrical impulses to the brain. Such devices have already been approved to treat dystonia, essential tremor, and Parkinson’s disease.
The patients recruited to participate in the trial had a history of depression for at least five years and did not respond to treatment with pharmaceuticals or electric shock therapy. A cohort of seventeen patients who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder were followed for a yearlong period.
Data collected indicated that patients with depression experienced improvements in overall mood. Additional improvements in occupational and social functioning were additionally noted. No serious adverse events were noted during the trial.
The same trial led by the Cleveland Clinic also treated a group of 26 patients with OCD. These patients were followed for a three year period. All the patients exhibited a marked improvement in this psychiatric anxiety condition. Medtronic has an application pending with the FDA to treat patients with OCD. A larger clinical trial to assess device utility for patients with unresponsive or severe depression will start later this year.
St. Jude Medical, who makes similar devices to provide deep brain stimulation, is also conducting a trial to assess utility for treatment of depression. Researchers presenting the data above note that the St. Jude device targets similar areas of the brain and expects that work to yield similar findings.
April 30, 2008 Related topics: Medical Devices & Products, Psychiatry & Neurology