Deep brain stimulation in the treatment of depression

Major depressive disorder is a worldwide disease with debilitating effects on a patient's life. Common treatments include pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. Many patients do not respond to these treatments; this has led to the investigation of alternative therapeutic modalities. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is one of these modalities. It was first used with success for treating movement disorders and has since been extended to the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Although DBS is still an emerging treatment, promising efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in preliminary trials in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Further, neuroimaging has played a pivotal role in identifying some DBS targets and remains an important tool for evaluating the mechanism of action of this novel intervention. Preclinical animal studies have broadened knowledge about the possible mechanisms of action of DBS for TRD, Given that DBS involves neurosurgery in patients with severe psychiatric impairment, ethical questions concerning capacity to consent arise; these issues must continue to be carefully considered.

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Deep Brain Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Efficacy and Safety

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.655412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Youliang Wu ◽

Jiajie Mo ◽

Lisen Sui ◽

Jianguo Zhang ◽

Wenhan Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Deep Brain Stimulation ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Treatment Resistant Depression ◽

Treatment Resistant ◽

Resistant Depression ◽

Deep Brain

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown promising outcomes as new therapeutic opportunities for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) who do not respond adequately to several consecutive treatments. This study aims to systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of DBS for TRD.Method: The literature was comprehensively reviewed using Medline, Google scholar, Cochrane library, Embase, and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform until January 2019. The studied outcomes included response, remission, recurrence, and adverse events (AEs) rates, and were reported as the rate ratio (RR) or pooled estimate with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Heterogeneity was measured by an I-square test and a sensitive analysis.Results: A total of 17 studies involving 7 DBS targets were included. For efficacy, DBS treatment was statistically beneficial for TRD, and the response, remission, and recurrence rates were 56% (ranging from 43 to 69%), 35% (ranging from 27 to 44%), and 14% (ranging from 4 to 25%), respectively. However, only two randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) considered the invalidity of DBS (RR = 1.45, 95% CI = 0.50–4.21). For safety, the AEs rate was 67% (ranging from 54 to 80%). The AEs were common and moderate, but the problems related to suicide and suicidal ideation should not be underestimated.Conclusion: These findings suggest that DBS for TRD is considered promising, which should be confirmed by well-designed and large sample studies. Future basic research and comprehensive clinical trials are needed to reach better understanding on the mechanisms of action and optimal targeted structure.

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