A woman who had been struggling to treat severe depression with medications has finally been successfully treated after receiving a brain implant that sends out electrical pulses through an electrode.
The newly developed neural implant, which delivers 300 pulses a day, promises effective treatment of psychiatric conditions so severe, that are otherwise impossible to treat.
According to The Guardian, the implant has achieved to make a significant difference in the woman's life.
Sarah, the woman who suffered from extreme depression, said at a conference:
"My depression has been kept at bay, and that's allowed me to start rebuilding a life that's worth living."
She also noted that she was able to laugh spontaneously for the first time in five years after getting the implant.
This is the first time in medical history that neural circuits affected by severe depression are able to return to a healthier state, signifying a breakthrough in neurology and psychiatry.
Katherine Scangos, lead researcher and University of California, San Francisco clinical psychiatrist, told The Guardian:
"We haven't been able to do this kind of personalized therapy previously in psychiatry. This success in itself is an incredible advancement in our knowledge of the brain function that underlies mental illness."
A large percentage of patients suffering from depression have seen treatment with medication fail. Although the newly developed brain implant treatment is reserved for severely ill patients, the successful experiment highlights the alternative options available when it comes to treating depression.
Sarah said:
"When I first received stimulation I felt the most intensely joyous sensation and my depression was a distant nightmare for a moment."
[h/t: Futurism]
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