Deep brain stimulation may aid patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

A new research has revealed that the deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that doesn't respond to other medications.

Based on evidence, two specific bilateral DBS techniques are recommended for treatment of carefully selected patients with OCD, according to a new clinical practice guideline endorsed by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Although many patients with OCD respond well to medications and/or psychotherapy, 40 to 60 percent continue to experience symptoms despite treatment.

Co-author Clement Hamani and colleagues concluded that bilateral stimulation (on both sides of the brain) of two brain "targets," which are areas called the subthalamic nucleus and the nucleus accumbens, can be regarded as effective treatments for OCD and in controlled clinical trials, both techniques improved OCD symptoms by around 30 percent on a standard rating scale.

The review highlights the difficulties of studying the effectiveness of DBS for OCD because most patients respond to medical treatment and studies of this highly specialized treatment typically include only small numbers of patients.

The study is published in the journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.