New Journal - Brainstimulation

The first issue of the new Journal Brainstimulation has just been published. It aims to cover basic, Translational and Clinical research in Neuromodulation. You can find the TOC here.

Positive Results Reported for Deep TMS H System For Depression

Brainsway Ltd., the manufacturer of the Deep TMS System is reporting on positive results on a study with 64 patients. The results do not seem to be published yet; you can read more about it here.

Info on DBS study for depression by MEDTRONIC

Medtronic Inc. (MDT) expects to launch a big trial to study deep brain stimulation with electricity as a treatment for severe depression "sooner rather than later," Medtronic's top official said Tuesday.

Please read on here:

ECT and Other Brain Stimulation Therapies: Optimizing Patient Outcomes

Certificate Course on Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Lectures, Hands-on Practicum and Exam
Saturday, May 3, 2008

18th Annual Meeting of the ACT
ECT and Other Brain Stimulation Therapies:
Optimizing Patient Outcomes
In conjunction with International Society
for Transcranial Stimulation (ISTS)
Sunday, May 4, 2008

Sibley Memorial Hospital
Washington, D.C.

You can download the the brochure and registration form here (please be patient, it is a large PDF file)

Vagus Nerve Stimulation - Summary of Published Research

David Christmas from the Advanced Interventions Service of the National Services Scotland has put together an excellent Summary on VNS in Depression Research. You can access it here.

St. Jude Starting Trial On Brain Stimulation For Depression

St. Jude, the company which acquired Advanced Neuromodulation Systems in 2005, is going ahed with a pivotal trial of Deep Brain Stimulation for Major Depression to seek PMA from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has granted what is known as an investigational device exemption that clears St. Jude to begin enrollment for the trial which is named BROADEN (BROdman Area 25 DEp brain Neurostimulation). The stimulation site is cg25; up to now patient numbers and study sites are kept confidential.

You can read more on this study here:

- CNNMoney.com

- PR-inside.com (an Austrian Press Service)

- The study site set up by St. Jude

Vagus nerve stimulation for depression: efficacy and safety in a European study

Vagus nerve stimulation for depression: efficacy and safety in a European study.

Schlaepfer TE, Frick C, Zobel A, Maier W, Heuser I, Bajbouj M, O'Keane V, Corcoran C, Adolfsson R, Trimble M, Rau H, Hoff HJ, Padberg F, Müller-Siecheneder F, Audenaert K, Van den Abbeele D, Matthews K, Christmas D, Stanga Z, Hasdemir M.

BACKGROUND: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy is associated with a decrease in seizure frequency in partial-onset seizure patients. Initial trials suggest that it may be an effective treatment, with few side-effects, for intractable depression.

METHOD: An open, uncontrolled European multi-centre study (D03) of VNS therapy was conducted, in addition to stable pharmacotherapy, in 74 patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Treatment remained unchanged for the first 3 months; in the subsequent 9 months, medications and VNS dosing parameters were altered as indicated clinically. 

RESULTS: The baseline 28-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-28) score averaged 34. After 3 months of VNS, response rates (50% reduction in baseline scores) reached 37% and remission rates (HAMD-28 score <10) 17%. Response rates increased to 53% after 1 year of VNS, and remission rates reached 33%. Response was defined as sustained if no relapse occurred during the first year of VNS after response onset; 44% of patients met these criteria. Median time to response was 9 months. Most frequent side-effects were voice alteration (63% at 3 months of stimulation) and coughing (23%). 

CONCLUSIONS: VNS therapy was effective in reducing severity of depression; efficacy increased over time. Efficacy ratings were in the same range as those previously reported from a USA study using a similar protocol; at 12 months, reduction of symptom severity was significantly higher in the European sample. This might be explained by a small but significant difference in the baseline HAMD-28 score and the lower number of treatments in the current episode in the European study.

PMID: 18177525 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

PDF: here

Can drilling electrodes into your brain cure depression?

An interesting article which appeared in the Daily Mail (UK) Health Section, 5th February 2008. You can read it here.