Treat the depression is not easy. There are treatments, yes, but in many people they do not generate results, while others end up becoming resistant over time. This is a problem, since the consequences of this disease can be very serious if a solution is not found. After all, our brain can be our worst enemy if it is not on our side. For this reason, a team of scientists from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has designed a very novel treatment, which instead of drugs uses an implant in the brain to alleviate the symptoms.
It is not the first time that something like this has been done. The use of implants has already been studied to treat other diseases associated with the brain, such as Parkinson’s or epilepsy. It has even been used previously in depression. However, the results of the clinical trials were not very encouraging.
Now, instead, they have managed to develop a new, much more effective procedure, treating a patient’s depression in a fully personalized. And it is that, in the same way that psychological therapy must be focused on each particular case. When placing an implant in the brain, attention must also be paid to the affected regions in each person. There was the key.
The importance of treating depression
According to the WHO, depression is the main cause of disability Worldwide. It affects about 350 million people in the world and it is estimated that between 8% and 15% of human beings will suffer from it at some point in their life.
In addition, based on figures of EFE Health, a 43% of patients stops treatment or does not comply with it as prescribed. This sometimes happens simply out of boredom. Because they see that, in reality, they do not feel better with the treatment. Or maybe at first yes, but with the passage of time everything returns to the previous situation.
This is the case of Sarah, a 36-year-old woman who has suffered from episodes of severe depression since she was a child. Sadly, her case has become resistant to conventional treatments. He needed a drastic change, so he decided to participate in the clinical trials that UCSF was starting for patients with depression. In them, they wanted to test a totally personalized brain implant that would respond to the needs of each person. Sarah was the first to participate and, as they well tell in the study on her case published in Nature Medicine, the results were a success.
An implant in the brain for each patient
Before designing the brain implant, these scientists placed a series of sensors and electrodes on Sarah’s brain, aimed at analyzing how her mood affected her. stimulation of different areas.
Thus, they found that the place where the most positive changes in their mood were generated was at a point, known as ventral capsule / ventral striatum. But a continuous stimulation in this region would not be the solution, since the brain activity of patients with depression is very changeable. For this reason, they also looked for the brain area in which the greatest number of changes associated with Sarah’s depressive symptoms were detected. This turned out to be the amygdala.
Therefore, they were before a biomarker, which would be the amygdala, and a brain circuit related to depression. This gave them the information they needed, since it would be enough to place an implant in the brain with electrodes right in those two points. One that detects specific changes in the amygdala and another that, when that happens, triggers the stimulation in ventral capusla / ventral striatum.
They proceeded like this and, In a few weeks, Sarah noticed how her symptoms improved sharply. He thought it would be a matter of a short time, as with drug treatments, but the months passed and he continued to feel well.
Therefore, these scientists believe they have found the key to design brain implants more efficient. And also with fewer side effects. They don’t think the markers used with Sarah are universal, although they would have to check. Either way, if necessary, the goal would be to develop fully customized implants for each case. They are already starting to recruit more patients, so they will soon see if it is feasible.
To achieve this, we would be facing a great weapon for depression. An implant that would become an ally for the brain of each patient to be on their side again.