Deep brain stimulation (DBS) could be an effective solution for individuals suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who don't respond to other treatments.
Researchers recommended two bilateral DBS techniques for certain OCD patients, Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins reported.
Deep brain stimulation delivers electricity through electrodes carefully placed on specific regions of the brain; it has been used to treat patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders.
Between 40 and 60 percent of patients with OCD continue to experience symptoms, even after receiving treatments such as medication and psychotherapy; DBS could potentially be used as an alternative in these "medically refractory" cases.
OCD is characterized by symptoms such as: obsessions including neatness, order, sexual or religious subjects, and fear of dirt or contamination; and compulsions such as washing and cleaning, counting, checking or following a strict routine, MayoClinic reported.
To make their findings the researchers looked at seven high-quality studies evaluating DBS's effect on OCD patients. The review's results suggest DBS of the brain's subthalamic nucleus and nucleus accumbens could reduce OCD symptoms by up to 30 percent on a standard rating scale. The findings do not support the use of DBS on only one side of the brain as an effective OCD treatment.
The studies of this specialized treatment tended to include only small numbers of patients. Despite the study's limits the Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment method for OCD patients under the humanitarian device exemption.
In the future the researchers hope to identify the most effective brain targets for OCD treatment.
The findings were published in the October issue of the journal Neurosurgery. It was endorsed by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and was sponsored by the American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and the CNS. It was conducted by Dr. Clement Hamani of Toronto Western Hospital and colleagues.
