Depression treatment options and results

by admin on June 11th, 2011

A radical new brain operation, a procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, is being used on patients suffering severe depression. The procedure has been performed for the first time in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Associate Professor Richard Bittar, Neurosurgeon, Royal Melbourne Hospital, describes the procedure and its almost immediate effects. Dr.Richard Bittar, Precision Neurosurgery Director MBBS (Honours), PhD, FRACS Dr. Richard Bittar is a highly qualified Australian neurosurgeon and researcher. Dr. Bittar is a visiting neurosurgeon at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Frankston Hospital, and numerous Private Hospitals in Melbourne. He is also Director of Precision Neurosurgery. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) works by targeting one of several areas in the brain that are part of the movement disorder pathway. By placing a fine wire (electrode) very precisely within the desired area, we are able to introduce a small amount of electrical current to these areas, which causes deactivation of the nerve cells. This electrode is connected to a battery which is implanted under the skin, allowing a small pulse of electricity to be delivered 24 hours a day. The most commonly targeted regions are the subthalamic nucleus (STN), thalamus (Vim), pallidum (GPi), and pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) in Parkinson’s disease, the thalamus (Vim) for essential tremor and multiple sclerosis tremor, and the pallidum (GPi) in dystonia. Precision Neurosurgery is a superspecialty …