Brain Stimulation

Brain Stimulation to Improve Quality of Life

At some point in their lives, just about half of the entire population will show enough symptoms to be diagnosed with a mental disorder. Many of them will go undiagnosed and untreated; however, for those suffering from symptoms of these conditions, there are a few different options. Many medications are clinically ineffective, which is why brain stimulation remains a popular alternative.

Mental Disorders and Their Symptoms 

There are many different mental disorders that exist, a few of the more common ones include, generalized anxiety disorder, which can be described as excessive and uncontrollable worrying; a condition that is likely to occur because of an irregularity in the connection within the front part of the brain. Another common disorder is major depressive disorder. This condition is marked by a number of different symptoms including a long-lasting feeling of sadness or emptiness and a change in things like weight, physical activity, and sleep. Another disorder that comes in many different forms and levels is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The symptoms of OCD usually start slowly and will gradually increase; however, it's not unlikely for the symptoms to vary. Symptoms can include things like worrying about germs to feeling the need to arrange different objects. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has many different symptoms which can include nightmares and flashbacks, heightened reactions, and emotional detachment or unwanted thoughts. Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder which simply means a disorder related to brain functioning and behavior. People who struggle with addiction have persistent and intense urges that encourage them to do something harmful despite being aware of the negative consequences. The most common addictions are seen with drugs and alcohol.

Results 

As brain stimulation develops, scientists have been formulating the treatment for the patient. This means that every treatment and dosage level will be different depending on the severity of the disorder. A study was done on patients to treat their generalized anxiety disorder; these patients received a low-frequency noninvasive treatment approach for three weeks, which resulted in an improvement of 50% from the symptoms they were suffering from. Then in the following weeks of remission, they improved to 60%. Both invasive and noninvasive approaches have been completed to treat major depressive disorder. Using the invasive approach, a long-term study was conducted and showed an improvement of 50% in the patient's symptoms. After 3 months the 50% increased to 53%. Then, after 18 months, the improvement increased significantly, with a 71% decrease in the severity of the patient's symptoms. Another study reported that none of the patients within the study had a moderate or severe depressive episode after they received the treatment. With the use of noninvasive brain stimulation, it also showed decreased movement in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), located in the front part of the brain, which restored the functional connections, thus helping to relieve depression. Additionally, treatment for OCD has been done with both treatment courses. The invasive approach of deep brain stimulation reduced the symptoms of OCD by 45% in adults and 57% in youth (ages 12-21). The noninvasive approach also showed a clear reduction in the symptoms.  It's unclear which approach is more effective; it depends on the patient's symptoms and the severity of their condition. The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder were reduced after 12 sessions of high-frequency rTMS using the noninvasive approach. Using the invasive approach, a study was run on war veterans; it reduced more than 37% of their symptoms. Invasive brain stimulation has been used to treat addiction; the results range from a 43% to a 61% improvement over the course of 5.5 years.

The Future 

Brain stimulation has been becoming increasingly popular as technology advances. Patients need another form of treatment, simply because many medications don’t work for them. Stimulation can provide treatment for quite a while considering patients suffering from addiction still have improvement almost 6 years later. Mental disorders are becoming more frequent in people. This could be because they are more accepted and people feel as though help is available to them. Brain stimulation can be the treatment that those suffering need to improve their quality of life.

Work Cited

Camacho-Conde, J. A., Gonzalez-Bermudez, R., Carretero-Rey, M., & Khan, Z. U. (2023). Therapeutic potential of brain stimulation techniques in the treatment of mental, psychiatric, and cognitive disorders. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 29(1), 8-23. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.13971 

Raju, Sharon Elza, and Natalie L. Boehm. “Deep Brain Stimulation.” The Defeating Epilepsy Foundation, 5 February 2022, https://www.defeatingepilepsy.org/treatment-for-epilepsy/deep-brain-stimulation/. Accessed 12 November 2023.