deep brain stimulation

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Brain Implant Gives Woman Relief From Lifelong Depression

Doctors used a device approved for epilepsy

(Newser) - A woman with depression that never got better, not with antidepressants and not with electroconvulsive therapy, is finally getting some relief, and some researchers are as happy as she is. A woman, identified only as Sarah, had struggled for most of her 36 years, but now finds herself capable of...

A Discovery About Memory Could Help the Mentally Ill

Scientists have a new view on 'working memory'

(Newser) - Scientists have a new theory about how the brain processes memories, one that holds the promise—someday—of helping those with depression and other mental illnesses. The study out of the University of Wisconsin focused on working memory, which covers immediate stuff like new phone numbers or where we left...

Military May Boost Soldier Performance With Brain Stimulation

Seen as safer alternative to prescription drugs

(Newser) - Air crew, drone operators, and other personnel serving in the military's most demanding roles may soon get a non-pharmacological boost: brain stimulation. Devices that use five electrodes to shoot weak currents into very specific targets in the cortex have performed very well in studies investigating performance under pressure, boosting...

He Was Paralyzed in 2004. Now He Can Feel His Hand

Thanks to electrodes in the brain and a robotic arm

(Newser) - It's a small but hopeful step: A man paralyzed from the neck down due to a spinal injury sustained in a 2004 car accident says he's feeling "possibly natural" sensations in his hand after scientists electrically stimulated his brain. A team led by researchers at the University...

He Was Minimally Conscious, Until an Ultrasound Treatment

It's first time this type of ultrasound was used to jumpstart the brain

(Newser) - Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles , are reporting on the "remarkable" recovery of a 25-year-old man who had been in a coma, following a simple and brief exposure to low-energy ultrasound targeting the thalamus; that's the part of the human brain that is typically impaired after...

Parkinson's Treatment Shows Promise in Mice

(Newser) - Potential good news for Parkinson's patients: An experimental treatment on mice that involves implanting electrodes on the spinal cord had great success, Reuters reports. Mice that received the so-called stimulator were able to move more easily. Human trials are expected to start next year, and they could lead the way...

Brain Pacemakers May Revolutionize Treatment

(Newser) - The precise application of electricity to certain areas of the brain—the same principles a pacemaker uses for the heart—is showing promise for people with an array of illnesses such as Parkinson's, severe depression, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's, the Chicago Tribune reports. The treatment, called deep brain stimulation, remains in...

Surgery for Depression? Yup.
 Surgery for Depression? Yup. 

Surgery for Depression? Yup.

Deep brain stimulation, used for years to fight Parkinson's, is spreading out

(Newser) - A type of brain surgery previously used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may be effective in countering the debilitating effects of deep depression, CNN reports. A new study shows that deep brain stimulation, a process in which electrodes are inserted into problem areas in the brain and hooked...

Scientists Find Eternal Sunshine Spot in Your Mind

Study: Brain section thinks happy thoughts

(Newser) - If you think the glass is half empty, you’re a pessimist—but if you think it’s half full, you have strong activity in your rostral anterior cingulate cortex. That’s the section of the brain, located right behind the eyes, that controls optimism, according to a new study...

Victim of Bad Heroin Sparks Parkinson's Treatment

Junkie offered brain for guinea pig testing

(Newser) - An addict who developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms from a nasty batch of heroin has helped researchers find a new way to treat the disease. In prison for attempted murder, Toby Govea agreed to be a human guinea pig – and let doctors experiment with “deep brain stimulation," drilling...

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