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Electrical stimulation of a small region of brain manages to improve the encouragement people with depression, according to a study by a group of experts from the University of California, San Francisco, USA, published today by Current Biology.
This small area of brain is the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, and this can become "a promising new target of stimulation for the treatment of mood disorders," according to Vikram Rao of the University of California.
A team led by Rao and Kristin Sellers studied 25 patients with epilepsy who placed electrodes in brain to identify the origin of their attacks.
Many of these patients also suffered from depression and, with their consent, the researchers took advantage of these electrodes to send small electrical vibrations to the affected areas. brain who are supposed to be involved in regulating states of encouragement.
They focused specifically on the electrical stimulation of the OFC, one of the regions of the brain less understood.
"Stimulation produced an activity pattern in areas of the brain connected to OFC, similar to those seen when patients naturally exhibited a positive mood.", Stressed Rao.
Activity changes brain The researchers observed that after stimulation, they were very similar to those detected when people were in a good mood.
The OFCshares the interconnections with various brain regions involved in the treatment of emotionsSellers emphasized, stressing that this made it a very attractive target for therapeutic stimulation.
The team is currently investigating whether the OFC's stimulation produces a lasting improvement in mood over longer periods. EFE
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