Can depression be treated by stimulating one brain area?
| Dec 5, 2018, 16:54 IST
Over the years, depression has only been treated through medicines. But now, a study has shown that using electrical stimulation on a particular part of the brain can help uplift people's mood. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted the study on 25 patients with moderate to severe depression and found that they gained significant improvement in their mood after electrical stimulation of their orbitofrontal cortex (OFC).
Their research showed that just three minutes of electrical stimulation made people feel better and naturally positive. A researcher said that the improvement was immediately noticeable in the patients' body languages. They smiled more, they sat up naturally and they spoke in normal tones. Dr Vikram Rao, one of the study team members said that, "Stimulation was helping patients with serious depression experience something like a naturally positive mood state, rather than artificially boosting mood in everyone."
Another team member was so confident about this research, she said that the more they learn about it, the better they may be able to treat patients with depression and may also eventually be able to help the brain unlearn what depression is. Well, the future for this treatment certainly looks positive.
Their research showed that just three minutes of electrical stimulation made people feel better and naturally positive. A researcher said that the improvement was immediately noticeable in the patients' body languages. They smiled more, they sat up naturally and they spoke in normal tones. Dr Vikram Rao, one of the study team members said that, "Stimulation was helping patients with serious depression experience something like a naturally positive mood state, rather than artificially boosting mood in everyone."
Another team member was so confident about this research, she said that the more they learn about it, the better they may be able to treat patients with depression and may also eventually be able to help the brain unlearn what depression is. Well, the future for this treatment certainly looks positive.