25 Years of Breakthroughs: DBS ('Pacemaker for the Brain') - Effective Depression Treatment, 2003

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) was invented in the late 1980s, however it was not used to treat depression-resistant patients until Scientific Council Member, Helen Mayberg, M.D. began testing it out in 2003. Her research showed that by using DBS to target a section of the brain that she identified as linked to depression in earlier research ('Brodmann Area 25'), symptoms of depression in patients were greatly reduced if not completely removed (in remission). In DBS, a pair of electrodes is implanted in the brain and connected by wires to a pair of pulsing devices in the chest - like a Pacemaker for the brain. The electrodes emit a sort of jamming signal to brain circuits thought to be involved in depression.

Dr. Mayberg's advancement of DBS was due in large part to a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant. Since that initial grant in 1991, related subsequent funding has amounted to more than 90 times the original NARSAD grant amount!

Read a scientific summary of Dr. Mayberg's original study

NPR featured a great article on the advancements of DBS and Dr. Mayberg's work

Recovery Story:
Read "A Remarkable Journey" about a life saved by DBS