Deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders: A review

Abstract

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure via the placement of neurostimulator, which is a medical device also known as brain pacemaker. The electrical impulses, which are sent to specific targets of brain through implanted electrodes, used in the treatment of some neurological and psychiatric disorders. While the mechanisms of action of DBS on the physiology on brain cells and neurotransmitters are controversial, it is well known that high-frequency electrical impulses into specific brain areas can diminish certain symptoms of some neurological and psychiatric disorders. DBS is already approved as a treatment for several neurological disorders by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is approved as a treatment for essential tremor in 1997 and Parkinson's disease since 2002, for dystonia in 2003 and for epilepsy in 2018. There are also variety uses of DBS in psychiatric disorders with resistance to treatment, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, appetite disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders and also schizophrenia. This article outlines using of deep brain stimulation as a treatment method for psychiatric disorders which are resistant to medical treatments and psychotherapies, as well as the appropriate anatomical targets and the possible mechanism of actions.