VNS Therapy - we are all familiar with defibrillators, but for severe cases of depression there is also a similar technology...VNS can be utilized with Bipolar depression and others who have not 
had success with normal drug treatment programs according to the article...the pacemaker turns itself on every few minutes to deliver a tiny electrical pulse...the treatment is normally added to a current medication plan....one side effect listed is the change in one's voice and diminishes over the time of around a year...somewhat makes me think of a very gradual lobotomy of sorts, but with anything relative to the brain we almost can't help but think about the old movie "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"...visit the Cyberonics website for additional information and has obtained FDA approval for the device in 2005...Medtronics as well as St. Jude Medical are also involved in similar projects with brain pacemakers....BD
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two of the largest and longest studies so far show a "brain pacemaker" can effectively treat depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), researchers said on Friday.
Devices implanted in the chest, with leads that send electrical impulses to parts of the brain, have already been approved to treat movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia. "These were severely depressed patients, the most depressed," Rezai said in an interview. The FDA in 2005 approved Cyberonics Inc. implantable device for treatment-resistant depression. It sends signals to the brain via the vagus nerve in the neck.
"The vagus nerve is one of the primary communication pathways from the major organs of the body to the brain. VNS (vagus nerve stimulation) Therapy is delivered by a pulse generator (like a pacemaker) and thin, flexible wires that send mild pulses to the vagus nerve in the left side of the neck. The vagus nerve delivers these pulses to the areas of the brain involved in the regulation of mood. VNS Therapy targets specific areas of the brain that affect the production or activity of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine .1"
Studies show brain pacemaker helps depression, OCD - Yahoo! News
Oh boy, this makes me want to order up one of those home bipolar kits and march off to the doctor!!
ReplyDeleteI'm depressed trying to keep up with my cell phone and all the other electronic umbilical cords out there, so now I need one of these to help me cope with life too???
PACEMAKER FOR HEART
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important parts of the heart is the pacemaker. When the natural (or original) pacemaker starts functioning with a lesser efficiency compared to the recommended one, the use of artificial pacemakers is suggested. Surgery is needed to implant an artificial pacemaker inside the body.
The artificial pacemaker (or simply ‘pacemaker’) is a device which functions on electrical impulses which are delivered by electrodes in contact with the heart muscles, thus helping in the regulation of the heart’s beating.
So, the most important function of the pacemaker is maintaining the heart rate within specified safe limits. This is required when the natural pacemaker is not functioning with sufficient speed. It may also be needed in case there is some kind of a block (obstruction) in the electrical conducting system of the patient’s heart.
Artificial pacemakers come in the following types --- Rate-responsive pacemaker, Single chamber pacemaker and Dual (or double) chamber pacemaker.
Some pacemakers are implantable. These are required for permanent pacing of the heart. Surgical operation is carried out for doing this and pacing electrodes are placed in the heart’s chambers. This type of pacemaker has in-built electronic circuitry, which detects the change in the pace of heart and adjusts it automatically to bring it within the recommended limit. This function is done by an important part of the pacemaker called as the pacemaker generator.
For getting best results from the artificial pacemaker, it is suggested that the battery of the pacemaker be replaced at regular intervals of time. It is extremely important to check the pacemaker regularly from a practicing physician.
The use of a pacemaker has helped a lot of people so far. The best part of it is that it does change the person’s lifestyle to much of an extent. Only the use of devices or gadgets generating magnetic fields is not allowed.