Deep brain stimulation

In: Management

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical treatment that has been used especially to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. It requires a neurosurgeon to drill a hole in the skull and insert an electrode into the patient's tissue. Then, a device located in the chest transmits a signal to the implanted electrode through wires located underneath the scalp.

Clinical trials are focused on the use of DBS for epilepsy and depression but the FDA has not approved this use. It requires brain surgery and it is therefore the most invasive form of brain stimulation in the treatment of depression.