godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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What are your thoughts?
Can Electrodes Help Ease Symptoms of Depression?
A chip implant may help people with clinical depression find relief from their symptoms.
Can Electrodes Help Ease Symptoms of Depression?
By Depression Connect StaffA Published at On Monday Views 46
There are a wide variety of ways to tackle the symptoms of depression, ranging from antidepressants to therapy. The medical community is continuously seeking new ways to treat the mental condition, which affects more than 19 million Americans each year, according to Mental Health America. Recently, scientists have developed a potential new treatment option: a microchip implant.
According to USA Today, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (the research arm of the U.S. military) is funding development of a device that can be implanted in the skull to treat psychiatric disorders such as clinical depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The agency will set aside $26 million in resources for the project - the Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies -which will last five years and will be headed by the University of California, San Francisco and Massachusetts General Hospital.
About the device
This implant takes the form of a chip that targets part of the brain in a procedure known as deep brain stimulation. The section of grey matter being affected is known as Area 25, which is responsible for controlling mood and is overactive in people suffering from clinical depression. It could prove to be an effective solution for people with this mental disorder who do not respond to antidepressants and other forms of therapy.
"It's much better to fix the actual part of the brain that's not working properly and not just bathe the whole brain with a chemical soup that has some undesirable side effects," lead project researcher Dr. Emad Eskandar told USA Today.
This type of technology is already used to treat other conditions, including Parkinson's disease treated with implantation of a wire that runs from the chest to the brain to deliver stimulation to certain parts of the grey matter.
The depression-easing device will also serve a research purpose. It will allow scientists to observe brain activity as it happens, which could provide insight into what types of triggers affect depression as well as episodic patterns associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Someone might hear a loud noise that triggers a fearful or anxious response," Eskandar explained to the source. "So you don't want to continuously deliver stimulation unnecessarily."
This project is part of the $100 million Brain Initiative program developed by the Obama administration to help find new ways to treat a wide range of brain disorders.
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here4foromsonly
Cincinnati, OH
56, joined Sep. 2012
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Not sure but it sounds a bit scary.
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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I know but I wonder if it really helps.
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findingtheoneiw
El Cajon, CA
36, joined Aug. 2014
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I know but I wonder if it really helps.
. One day we will know. That's how we learned so much medical technology. Some people suffered failed research in order to save future people.
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