Deep Brain Stimulation

Brain Signal Linked to OCD Compulsions Identified

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Summary: Researchers have identified a specific pattern of high-frequency brain activity in the anteromedial orbitofrontal cortex (amOFC) that is consistently linked to compulsive behaviors in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In three patients with severe, treatment-resistant OCD, briefly disrupting this signal through targeted deep-brain stimulation (DBS) rapidly reduced symptoms. The findings suggest that OCD symptoms … Read more

Brain network discovery opens new path for Parkinson’s treatment

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Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder affecting more than 1 million people in the U.S. and more than 10 million globally, is characterized by debilitating symptoms such as tremors, movement difficulties, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairments. While current treatments, including long-term medication and invasive deep brain stimulation (DBS), can alleviate symptoms, they cannot halt progression … Read more

Optical stimulation of brain region boosts motor function in Parkinson’s models

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Researchers are investigating the mechanisms and identifying new areas of the brain that can benefit patients when stimulated. Persons with Parkinson’s disease increasingly lose their mobility over time and are eventually unable to walk. Hope for these patients rests on deep brain stimulation, also known as a brain pacemaker. In a current study, researchers at … Read more

Public views vary widely about neurotechnologies for brain-based conditions

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Q: How would you summarize your study for a lay audience?  Given the rise in brain-based conditions and the growing development and investment in neurotechnologies to target them, it is important to understand how the public views these interventions and whether they would be willing to use them. To explore this, we conducted a survey … Read more

How to lower your Parkinson’s disease risk and slow its onset as cases rise worldwide

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Parkinson’s disease has emerged as one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders worldwide, with experts projecting a dramatic surge in cases of the progressive brain disorder over the coming decades. A recent study published in the BMJ medical journal predicts that the number of people affected worldwide could more than double – from 11.9 million in … Read more

Mayo Clinic study highlights a new approach to treating drug-resistant epilepsy

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A study published in Brain Communications highlights a new approach to treating drug-resistant epilepsy. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed an innovative deep brain stimulation (DBS) platform that was used to not only reduce seizures, but also improve memory and sleep – two common challenges for patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy, a seizure disorder that affects about 50 million people … Read more

Mapping the brain network behind generalized epilepsy

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Frederic L.W.V.J. Schaper, MD, PhD, director of Epilepsy Network Mapping at the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, is the senior author of a paper published in Nature Communications, “A generalized epilepsy network derived from brain abnormalities and deep brain stimulation.” How … Read more