Brain pacemaker

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"Brain pacemakers" are used to treat people who suffer from epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, clinical depression and other diseases. The pacemaker is a medical device that is implanted into the brain to send electrical signals into the tissue. Depending on the area of the brain that is targeted, the treatment is called deep brain stimulation, or vagus nerve stimulation. Brain stimulation may be used both in treatment and prevention.

1 Epilepsy
2 Parkinson's disease
3 Clinical depression
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Epilepsy

Epilepsy refers to a wide variety of neurological disorders characterized by sudden recurring attacks of motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures. The implantation of pacemakers in the brain may control or eliminate epileptic seizures with programmed or responsive stimulation.

[edit] Parkinson's disease

The deep brain stimulation used in pacemakers to treate Parkinson's disease can help reduce symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement, and walking problems. The procedure also treats essential tremor, a neurological movement disorder. After the pacemaker is surgically implanted into the brain, electrical impulses are sent to the stimulator and into the brain. These impulses interfere with and block the electrical signals that cause Parkinson’s disease symptoms. The procedure is generally only used for patients whose symptoms cannot be controlled with medication.

Deep brain stimulation represents an advance on previous treatments which involved surgical destruction of a the globus pallidus region of the thalamus. Instead, a thin piece of lead with four electrodes is implanted in the globus pallidus and electric pulses used to block the abnormal activity. The lead from the implant is extended to the pacemaker under the skin in the chest area.

[edit] Clinical depression

Pacemakers are also being used to treat clinical depression. Electrical stimulation has been shown to eliminate chronic depression in some patients. Some patients reports an immediate improvement in mood and in their sleeping habits after implantation. CG25, also known as the sadness cente in the brain, is speculated to play a major role in sadness and mood. People with depression have abnormally high levels of activity in CG25 which can transform minor into major depression.