Science Daily reports that the first clinical double-blind study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment of depression is being conducted by St Jude Hospital. However it’s Canada which has led the way in this form of therapy.
DBS stimulates the brain using electrical current from a device that is implanted near the collar bone and connected to electrical leads to targeted areas of the brain. Mild current is sent to an area of the brain called Broadman 25 which has been previously identified by Canadian researchers as overly active in people suffering major clinical depression.
The Toronto Globe Mail has a story Mending a Broken Mind which interviews Sean Miller a young man who is using the DBS device after years of suffering. There is also lots of information about the procedure; more in-depth coverage of how DBS works; and the people behind making Canada the pioneer in using electrical current to treat depression.
Who knows? Thomas Edison may eclipse designer drugs, gene therapy and Sigmund Freud all together.
