"Brain pacemaker" could treat depression, OCD

Sending electrical shocks into the brain via a "brain pacemaker" has already led to dramatic breakthroughs like the revival of a man trapped in a vegetative state for six years, but new research may mean that the technique is soon a common treatment for disorders like depression and OCD. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, Mass General, Harvard Medical School and Brown Medical School implanted the Medtronics brain pacemaker into 17 people suffering from depression and tracked them for a year, finding significant improvements in mood as well as social and occupational functioning, while 26 patients suffering from OCD were followed for three years and also showed "marked improvement." Findings will be presented to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons this week in Chicago, and clinical trials are scheduled for later this year -- in other news, sales of "The Terminal Man" to neurosurgeons recently skyrocketed for unknown reasons.

[brentshaffa @ Apr 29th 2008 1:50AM]

The Final Solution for Emo Kids.

[DarkLightConnection Unbanned @ Apr 29th 2008 1:56AM]

I like the old solution better - let them kill themselves, and clean a part of the gene pool in the process

[happy_penguin @ Apr 29th 2008 1:57AM]

Anti Emo boy riot mobs like they do in Mexico.

[DarkLightConnection Unbanned @ Apr 29th 2008 2:26AM]

Well, I'm Mexican :-P

[BobTurbo @ Apr 29th 2008 6:22AM]

The person that developed the theory of natural selection had OCD.

[CT A @ Apr 29th 2008 7:47AM]

Shouldn't be called peacemaker?

[Armen @ Apr 30th 2008 4:25AM]

>I like the old solution better - let them kill themselves,
>and clean a part of the gene pool in the process

Then I guess all the smart people in your gene pool killed themselves cause you're a real idiot.

[Valgas @ Apr 29th 2008 2:14AM]

Will this allow one to press a button and trigger an insta-erection too?

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 29th 2008 3:01AM]

No, but insta-orgasm comes included. Pun mostly intended.

[Valgas @ Apr 29th 2008 3:17AM]

An orgasm without an erection is even better. If this were really the case though, I'd get one installed. I'm depression too.

[PrimoLevinas @ Apr 29th 2008 9:30AM]

There are acutally reports of "morphine-like sensation similar to sexual climax" lasting up to 66 seconds. (not in this studies, though).They are accomodated by loss of hygiene, other leisure activities, friends and lesions of the fingers from constant fiddling with your controller. My advice: Try masturbating.

Nonetheless, this storie is semi-old. "Brain pace makers" (try pubmed for deep brain stimulation) have ameloriated alcoholism, heroin addiction, parkinson, obessive compulsive disorder, depression, pain syndrome, tourettes syndrome, anxiety disorders. But: results are not always from USA (might make the difference for you US-people)

[LMM @ Apr 29th 2008 2:46AM]

...Oh crap. Someone decided to skip the "turn us into robots" step and just decided to control the biological brain we already have!

This reminds be of either a robotic form of the brain slug, that button Mom pushed to turn all the robots into retaliation-mode, OR the button Zapp Brannigan pushed to turn the robots into patriotic mode.

And with this post I do believe I've won the Most Futurama References In One Post Award.

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 4:47AM]

It does set a rather scary precedent.

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 4:48AM]

Uh, the electrode thing, I mean.

[geoff @ Apr 29th 2008 3:15AM]

If I had that sticking in my head I think it would make me depressed.

[Nick Carchidi @ Apr 29th 2008 3:19AM]

I hope the U.S. passes this.. FCC, etc. I'm one who does suffer from OCD/Depression and it's really debilitating.

[ishism @ Apr 29th 2008 3:27AM]

Scary

[erblemoof @ Apr 29th 2008 3:46AM]

There's already a large group of psychologists using a technique of simply tapping the skull with one's fingers to produce the same results. No scary brain implant needed. Check out http://www.emofree.com. There's a cat scan picture somewhere of someone's brain, both before and after the tapping sequence. Before, the brain is all red (meaning crazy electrical activity) and after it's blue - meaning it's calm. I can't find the picture offhand but it's on the back on some book about "Energy Psychology."

Just goes to show, for every ridiculously expensive and dangerous technique, there's a DIY technique that's just as good.

[erblemoof @ Apr 29th 2008 3:48AM]

I found the pics: http://www.innersource.net/energy_psych/epi_neuro_foundations.htm They're actually EEGs.

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 4:53AM]

I believe there's also a method where one takes a blue air-filled gelatin capsule once a day.

[Gibson @ Apr 29th 2008 4:17AM]

We will never hear about this again.

[saunajunkie @ Apr 29th 2008 4:36AM]

Depression? wait, didn't they fix that a long time ago? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 4:45AM]

I would just like to jump in and quote Homer Simpson by saying: "To alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems!


BTW, FYI, alcohol is a depressant.

[supermeerkat @ Apr 29th 2008 4:51AM]

Normally I'd make a amusing comment(!) at this point, but as a severe depression sufferer myself I can't bring myself to do it.

Exercise and a good diet alleviate most of my symptoms, but there is still a core of depression that never leaves. Perhaps this may be of help - I shall follow this development with interest.....

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 4:56AM]

I have taken anti-depressants for over a decade.

[Ian @ Apr 29th 2008 4:57AM]

well i read about this in discover mag last summer and thought it was quite amazing. it was great to hear about one women after having done every medication and treatment to have a positive effect from this treatment.

sense having dated someone with depression, its quite hard to deal with no matter what happened to her she couldnt get over it. so to hear about something like this thats not a pill gives me at lest a little hope. although i dont like the whole brain surgery thing its better then nothing.

so to all of you people who are just complaining about emo kids i want to tell you to FUCK OFF. you try caring for someone when all they can do is cry for no reason. when they cant function as a normal person because there is an imbalance in the brain. so next time you hear about it dont dismiss it for something that they are making up or can control on their own, understand that its someone that needs to be stopped now.

[supermeerkat @ Apr 29th 2008 5:00AM]

"so to all of you people who are just complaining about emo kids i want to tell you to FUCK OFF."

Once more won't hurt.

[Ian @ Apr 29th 2008 5:08AM]

@supermarket

well at lest you have a sense of humor but this is something i dont find funny in the slightest. so i say to you go fuck yourself. you obviously dont understand what its like for someone or are too ignorant to understand.

[John Stracke @ Apr 29th 2008 8:01AM]

@Ian: "you obviously dont understand what its like for someone or are too ignorant to understand."

Go take a look at supermeerkat's toplevel comment right before yours. He (or she) just said he has severe depression.

[Ian @ Apr 30th 2008 4:19AM]

@ John

yea sadly i saw that right after i posted that. my bad

[Alex @ Apr 29th 2008 4:59AM]

This is an old technology used to treat Parkinsons amongst other things. We have to study this in university. Insteresting stuff.

[David W. @ Apr 29th 2008 5:05AM]

I wonder if it might help with epilepsy? I mean in the end it's all about nerve endings and stuff right?...it would be cool if this could solve lots of different problems

[mattg @ Apr 29th 2008 11:02AM]

actually, theres a targeted "brain pace maker" for epilepsy called a 'vagus nerve stimulator' or VNS implant. theres also surgical procedures. this implant seems more akin to EST (and yes there are still major proponents for electroshock) than VNS. VNS and surgery are more about regulating the conduits in the brain; like putting in a traffic cop.

the lack of deets in this clip, coupled with my lack of interest to pursue, leads me to the assumption above; ie, electroshock cures depression, so do lobotomies.

loi

[Garst @ Apr 29th 2008 5:32AM]

Could someone tell me what OCD is?

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 29th 2008 5:41AM]

You ask here because the title of the first Google result doesn't spell it out, right? Oh wait...it does.

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 6:58AM]

Oblivious Comments Disorder.

[94 taurus owner @ Apr 29th 2008 7:46AM]

Obsessive compulsive disorder.

[94 taurus owner @ Apr 29th 2008 7:44AM]

Sorry but I still don't see how sticking an electronic device in the most vital part of your body can be good for you.

[alex @ Apr 30th 2008 4:24AM]

That because you probably have not the slightest idea how this technology works.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KcGLC_rOaKM&feature=related

This is a video (not in english) of a guy with Parkinsons I assume, walking around with the DBS on, and then at the end of the video, turning it off to show the extent of the tremors.

[zorgster @ Apr 29th 2008 8:15AM]

but so darn'd clever of those medics to have turned the barbaric act of electrocuting the mentally ill into something so portable and unobtrusive...

[stromm @ Apr 29th 2008 7:56AM]

"Could someone tell me what OCD is?"

Even though you don't want to do any research on your own, I'll help you.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml

[94 taurus owner @ Apr 29th 2008 7:56PM]

Wikipedia.org gives a goo definition.

[LiqwidZero @ Apr 29th 2008 9:02AM]

Another step towards George Lucas' "THX 1138".

[MadMike @ Apr 29th 2008 10:58AM]

Obligatory - "Ohh, page me again!" or "Don't tase me bro!"

I can't figure out which one is funnier.

[MadMike @ Apr 29th 2008 10:58AM]

Obligatory - "Ohh, page me again!" or "Don't tase me bro!"

I can't figure out which one is funnier.

[injate @ Apr 29th 2008 11:35AM]

new age lobotomy ? awesome, sign me up!

[gad get @ Apr 29th 2008 10:32PM]

Uhh... from what I understand, there's no removal of any gray matter.

[Shig @ Apr 30th 2008 12:17AM]

Everybody!

Happy, happy, joy, joy,
Happy, happy, joy, joy,
Happy, happy, joy, joy, joy!

"I'm... so... HAPPY! Cleaning out... kitty litter..."