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PLEASE ACCEPT OUR PRIVACY TERMS You can change your preferences at any time by clicking on “Privacy Settings” in the footer at the bottom of the page. We believe that trustworthy health information should be free to everyone and we rely on advertising to make that possible. Providing authoritative experiences that are reviewed by physicians and other health and wellness professionals is expensive, but it’s an invaluable service. We collect and securely process your personal data to deliver a relevant experience and support our business, so we ask that you allow cookies in order to access all of our content and features. We and our partners process your personal data in the following ways: * cookies or unique IDs, for storing and/or accessing information on your device * personalized ads and content * ad and content measurement * audience insights and product development * ensuring security, preventing fraud, and debug * technically deliver ads or content Your personal data use applies only while using Healthline Media Websites and Apps. Some of our partners do not ask for your consent to process your data and rely on their legitimate business interest. You can modify your setting or object by clicking on “Manage Settings.” At this time, we cannot provide the full site experience if you disallow any purposes, features, or partners. Instead, we will provide a version of our site that shows 10 of our most popular articles without ads, cookies, or tracking technologies. ACCEPT AND CONTINUE TO SITEMANAGE SETTINGS * Health Conditions * Health Conditions * Alzheimer's & Dementia * Anxiety * Arthritis * Asthma & Allergies * Breast Cancer * Cancer * Cardiovascular Health * COVID-19 * Dermatology & Skincare * Diabetes * Environment & Sustainability * Exercise & Fitness * Eye Health * Headache & Migraine * Health Equity * HIV & AIDS * Human Biology * Inflammatory Bowel Disease * Leukemia * LGBTQIA+ * Men's Health * Mental Health * Multiple Sclerosis (MS) * Nutrition * Parkinson's Disease * Psoriasis * Sexual Health * Women's Health * Discover * News * Latest News * Original Series * Medical Myths * Honest Nutrition * Through My Eyes * New Normal Health * Podcasts * How to understand chronic pain * What is behind vaccine hesitancy? * The amazing story of hepatitis C, from discovery to cure * New directions in dementia research * Can psychedelics rewire a depressed, anxious brain? * Why climate change matters for human health * Tools * General Health * Drugs A-Z * Health Hubs * Health Tools * BMI Calculators and Charts * Blood Pressure Chart: Ranges and Guide * Breast Cancer: Self-Examination Guide * Sleep Calculator * Health Products * Affordable Therapy Options * Blood Pressure Monitors * Diabetic Supplies * Fitness Trackers * Home Gyms * Green Cleaning Products * How to Shop for CBD * Quizzes * RA Myths vs Facts * Type 2 Diabetes: Managing Blood Sugar * Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain: Fact or Fiction * Connect * About Medical News Today * Who We Are * Our Editorial Process * Content Integrity * Conscious Language * Newsletters * Sign Up * Follow Us Participate in Depression Awareness Month with our community MEET BEZZY Medical News Today * Health Conditions * Discover * Tools * Connect Subscribe STIMULATION OF BRAIN'S 'REWARD' CENTER CAN HELP WITH TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION By Corrie Pelc on August 26, 2022 — Fact checked by Ferdinand Lali, Ph.D. Share on PinterestWhich brain area should deep brain stimulation target in order to improve treatment-resistant depression? Researchers may have found an answer. Image credit: artpartner-images/Getty Images. * About 30% of people with major depressive disorder (MDD) develop treatment-resistant depression. * Researchers from UTHealth Houston say deep brain stimulation applied to certain areas of the brain may help treat it. * The research team found that depression in 8 out of 10 treatment-resistant patients decreased by at least 50% after deep brain stimulation. About 30% of peopleTrusted Source receiving care for major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression. Treatment-resistant depression occurs when a person does not respond to at least two different antidepressant medications. Treatment options for this form of depression include additional medications, psychotherapy, and brain stimulationTrusted Source. Now, a team of researchers from UTHealth Houston has found that delivering deep brain stimulation to the areas of the brain related to reward and motivation may help alleviate treatment-resistant depression. This study recently appeared in the journal Molecular PsychiatryTrusted Source. WHAT IS TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION? The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks depression as the most common illness in the worldTrusted Source, affecting about 3.8% of the global population. Major depressive disorder or clinical depression is a mood disorder that impacts a person’s daily life. Symptoms of depression include: * fatigue * sleeping issues * concentration problems * anxiety and/ or nervousness * changes in appetite * anger and/ or irritability * thoughts of self-harm and/ or suicide. The treatment for depression normally includes medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both. Medications for depression can include antidepressantsTrusted Source, antipsychoticsTrusted Source, and mood stabilizersTrusted Source. If a person receiving treatment for depression does not respond to at least twoTrusted Source different antidepressant medications, they may have treatment-resistant depression. Current treatments for this include: * augmentation therapyTrusted Source, where a doctor prescribes an antidepressant medication and a second medication that is usually not an antidepressant * psychotherapy * brain stimulation * novel treatmentsTrusted Source, such as psilocybin or anti-inflammatory drugsTrusted Source. ADVERTISEMENT Online therapy can help with depression Improve your quality of life with the support of BetterHelp's licensed therapists. Get therapy when you need it over phone, video, or chat. LEARN MORE WHAT IS DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION? Deep brain stimulationTrusted Source is a neurosurgical treatment where electrodes are implanted into the brain. The electrodes send out electrical signals to the brain, helping to change and correct the way in which it operates. Over 160,000Trusted Source people globally have received deep brain stimulation treatment for both neurological and non-neurological issues. Deep brain stimulation is commonly used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Researchers have also studied it as a potential treatment for treatment-resistant depression. A systematic review of clinical outcomes published in 2014 found that 40-70% of people with treatment-resistant depression treated with deep brain stimulation showed an improvement of over 50% in their symptoms. “Unfortunately, despite all resources we have to treat depression and even treatment-resistant depression, not all patients respond to them,” explained Dr. João de Quevedo, professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and a co-author of the study. “Invasive treatment strategies including deep brain stimulation come to address the unmet needs of this treatment-resistant depression subpopulation,” he added. TARGETING THE BRAIN’S REWARD AND MOTIVATION CENTER According to Dr. de Quevedo, the purpose of this research study was to show the efficacy of their surgical approach in improving depressive symptoms of people living with treatment-resistant depression. “Despite [having] a rationale for choosing this specific target to land the electrodes, we need further evidence on which brain structures are activated downstream,” he told Medical News Today. “It generates a kind of roadmap of additional targets for treatment.” During the study, Dr. de Quevedo and his team examined applying deep brain stimulation to the superolateral branch of the medial forebrain bundleTrusted Source in the brain. This area of the brain is related to reward and motivation. Researchers applied deep brain stimulation to this particular area of the brain in 10 patients. Using PET scansTrusted Source conducted at 6 months and at 1 year following deep brain stimulation treatment, researchers found metabolic brain changes in 8 of the 10 patients, indicating a decrease in a patient’s markers of depression of at least 50%. “We are paving the road that will lead us to large-scale clinical trials and therefore FDA approval,” Dr. de Quevedo stated. “Our proof-of-concept study is a starting point, not the end.” ‘EXCITING’ POTENTIAL NEW THERAPY Dr. Jean-Philippe Langevin, neurosurgeon and director of Restorative Neurosurgery and Deep Brain Stimulation Program for Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, said this new research is “exciting” as a potential new therapy for an area where there are currently not many options. “The majority of patients with depression are going to get better with medication or psychotherapy, but there’s a small group that does not improve,” he explained to MNT. “And so for those patients,” he added, “there’s not a whole lot of options out there. It was nice to see that in another line of evidence that perhaps neurosurgery could offer some help in the future.” Dr. Langevin said clinicians are now discovering that patients with depression — and in particular, treatment-resistant depression — have anomalies or abnormal ways in which the brain is functioning or processing emotion. “It could be that in those patients perhaps it’s a condition where the brain was wired that way, or sometimes it could be that events or medical conditions in life happen and change the way your brain is wired slightly and make it very difficult to get out of that feeling or those symptoms of depression,” he explained. > “In deep brain stimulation, we can alter the way the brain works in a more > focal way. You can target those areas of the brain that are either too active > or not active enough, and then switch their activity slightly or modulate it > in a way that’s more conducive to proper emotional processing.” > > – Dr. Jean-Philippe Langevin When asked what he would like to see in future research, Dr. Langevin mentioned that while there has been other research examining the use of deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression in different ways, he would like to see a more individualized approach. “One patient may benefit from [deep brain stimulation] in one specific area versus another one and another area,” he noted. “That could explain why some patients [respond] in those trials, whereas other ones may not be responding as well.” “In general, I think what we need is continuing to pursue the work with larger studies to prove whether or not we’re on the right track,” Dr. Langevin added. * Mental Health * Neurology / Neuroscience * Psychology / Psychiatry By Corrie Pelc on August 26, 2022 — Fact checked by Ferdinand Lali, Ph.D. LATEST NEWS * Immune reaction to a gut bug may trigger rheumatoid arthritis * Why are scientists growing human brain cells in the lab? * Not treating depression might heighten future dementia risk * Why do we procrastinate? Experts explain the science * Parkinson's disease: Zinc may enhance a protein's protective role WAS THIS ARTICLE HELPFUL? YesNo RELATED COVERAGE * How long-term depression alters the brain Research has shown that depression is tied to biological changes in the brain. But do such changes worsen over time, and are current treatments… READ MORE * Severe depression linked with inflammation in the brain A new study claims to be the first to find 'definitive evidence' of an association between brain inflammation and major depression. READ MORE * Exercise as a depression treatment: What to know Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD There is a growing body of research suggesting that exercise could help treat depression. In this article, learn about the possible effects and what… READ MORE * Could mindfulness prevent major depression? A weekly session of mindfulness meditation may help to prevent the development of major depression in those with subclinical depression, a new study… READ MORE * What to know about TMS treatment for depression TMS is a noninvasive therapy that doctors may recommend for people with treatment-resistant depression. Learn more. READ MORE GET OUR NEWSLETTER Keep up with the ever-changing world of medical science with new and emerging developments in health. SUBSCRIBE Your privacy is important to us. Any information you provide to us via this website may be placed by us on servers located in countries outside of the EU. If you do not agree to such placement, do not provide the information. * About Us * Contact Us * Terms of Use * Privacy Policy * Privacy Settings * Advertising Policy * Health Topics * Health Hubs * Medical Affairs * Content Integrity * Newsletters * © 2004-2022 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK, a Red Ventures Company. All rights reserved. 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