Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Host: Cathleen Margolin, PhD Guest: Helen Mayberg, MD Standard treatments for depression are effective in providing relief in most cases. However, some individuals suffer from depression that does not diminish despite adequate trials of antidepressants, psychotherapy and even electroconvulsive therapy. There is new hope for those suffering from treatment-resistant depression in the form of deep brain stimulation. Electrodes implanted in the brain that provide continuous current to a specific area of the brain has provided relief to subjects in groundbreaking new studies . Dr.Helen S. Mayberg, professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine joins host, Dr. Cathleen Margolin to discuss deep brain stimulation for depression. Dr. Mayberg's studies over the past 20 years in neural network models of mood regulation in health and disease have led to the recent development of a new intervention for treatment resistant patients using deep brain stimulation.