Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Treatment-resistant depression presents a serious challenge to both patients and clinicians. The anterior and midlateral prefrontal cortices play complementary roles in integrating emotional and cognitive experiences and in modulating subcortical regions. Both regions offer a distinct opportunity for targeted antidepressant treatments. We chose to pilot the safety and therapeutic benefits of chronic and intermittent epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Methods

We enrolled five adults with an average of 5.8 failed antidepressant treatments in their current depressive episode. All subjects underwent comprehensive clinical assessments, detailed neuropsychological testing, and presurgical magnetic resonance i

SUBMITTER: Nahas Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2863140 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature