Epilepsy Talk

A ‘Pacemaker’ for the Brain…Reducing Seizures by as Much as 50%…and Depression up to 30% | October 7, 2021

Some people know Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) as a treatment for epilepsy, reducing seizures by as much as 50 percent.

It’s designed for the considerable number of patients suffering from medically refractory epilepsy who are not candidates for resective brain surgery.

This tiny pacemaker-like device, is implanted in the brain to deliver a small amount of electricity when it detects the onset of a seizure.

But, what most people DON’T know know is that Deep Brain Stimulation, can help depression by up to 30 per cent.

“One person’s depression might look very different from another person’s depression,” said Dr. Katherine Scangos, an assistant professor of psychiatry at U.C.S.F. and an author of a report about Sarah’s case, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. The senior authors were Dr. Andrew Krystal, an expert in neuro-modulation and mood disorders, and Dr. Edward Chang, whose work includes brain implants for paralyzed patients who cannot speak.

The patient starring in this trial study tried nearly every treatment: roughly 20 different medications, months in a hospital day program, electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation.

But as with nearly a third of the more than 250 million people with depression worldwide, her symptoms persisted.

Obviously, like epilepsy, one size does not fit all.

And just like epilepsy, an individualized approach towards depression and emotions must be taken.

Come join Sarah’s groundbreaking journey here, as described by The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/health/depression-treatment-deep-brain-stimulation.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20211005&instance_id=41961&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=27745593&segment_id=70669&user_id=4b663372cdc4a3d8ec8b60230b50eec6

And for further information, about deep brain stimulation’s radical benefits, click on: https://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/news/20100317/deep-brain-stimulation-stops-seizures

https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/about-epilepsy/treatment/deep-brain-stimulation#.V3LEDLgrLAs

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941772/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17691313/

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