A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has discovered that deep brain stimulation (DBS) can enhance psychological flexibility in people with depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This enhancement aids individuals in moving away from the behavioral cycles that have left them feeling 'stuck' in their mental illnesses.
The research, published in the journal 'Science Translational Medicine', took an innovative approach by starting with human subjects treated with DBS before replicating the findings in rodents. This method allowed the team to observe how DBS treatment helped human subjects break free from the limiting cycles of their mental illnesses, a result that was then mirrored in rodent models.
Alik Widge, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and one of the study’s lead authors, emphasized the potential of DBS to change the way mental illness is treated. However, he noted that mainstream use of DBS is still in the future, as the field continues to explore how to effectively implement this treatment.
The study's unique approach of starting with human trials before moving to animal models is rare and offers a new platform for therapeutic discovery. This method contrasts with the traditional route of beginning with animal trials, which often do not reliably predict effectiveness in humans. The research team's findings suggest that DBS can make the brain more adaptable, a discovery that could lead to more targeted and effective treatments for mental illness.
Widge also discussed the broader implications of this research, suggesting that it could pave the way for treatments that target specific areas of the brain to treat particular mental illnesses, much like how cancer treatments are tailored to specific types of tumors. This approach could revolutionize psychiatric treatment by providing more precise and effective interventions for mental health disorders.
