Electrical stimulation of the brain can reduce depression

Electricity for the treatment of depression?

Researchers have now found that when people suffer from depression, electrical stimulation treatment on a particular part of the brain leads to significant mood improvements.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found in their current research that so-called stimulation treatment of the brain in people with depression leads to significant mood improvements. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "Current Biology".

There is a new reason for hope for people with depression. An electrical stimulation of the brain seems to lead to an improvement of the disease. (Image: Kittiphan / fotolia.com)

Treatment focused on orbitofrontal cortex

The experts focused their treatment on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which is located on the lower surface of the brain above the eyes, in patients with moderate to severe depression. The orbitofrontal cortex is one of the least understood regions in the brain, the researchers say. However, the orbitofrontal cortex is closely linked to various brain structures related to mood, depression, and decision-making, so he is well positioned to coordinate the activity between emotion and cognition, adds study author Dr. Eddie Chang from the University of California in a press release.

What caused the electrical treatment?

In 25 patients with epilepsy, who had minimal to severe symptoms of depression, a low electrical current was applied for three minutes. The patients reported an improvement in their mood, were altogether calmer and less anxious. The participants also experienced a visible improvement in their body language, they smiled more, sat straight and spoke faster and more natural, explain the physicians.

Further research is needed

However, further studies on larger groups of people are needed to better understand if stimulation of the orbitofrontal cortex actually leads to a lasting mood improvement. The more the experts understand depression at the level of the brain's circuitry, the more options are available to offer patients effective treatments with a low risk of side effects. Maybe one day it will even be possible for the human brain to be deprived of depression completely, the scientists of the University of California hope. (As)