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Deep brain stimulation for bipolar disorder—review and outlook

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2016

Sabrina M. Gippert
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
Christina Switala
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
Bettina H. Bewernick
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
Sarah Kayser
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
Alena Bräuer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
Volker A. Coenen
Affiliation:
Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg (i.Br.), Germany
Thomas E. Schlaepfer*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital, Bonn, Germany Departments of Psychiatry and Mental Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Thomas E. Schlaepfer, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. (Email: schlaepf@jhmi.edu)

Abstract

Research on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders has established preliminary efficacy signals for treatment-resistant depression. There are only few studies on DBS that included patients suffering from bipolar disorder. This article gives an overview of these studies concerning DBS targets, antidepressant efficacy, and the occurrence of manic/hypomanic symptoms under stimulation. First, promising results show that all patients experienced significant improvement in depressive symptomatology. In a single case, hypomanic symptoms occurred, but they could be resolved by adjusting stimulation parameters. Furthermore, this article highlights important clinical differences between unipolar and bipolar depression that have to be considered throughout the course of treatment.

Type
Review Articles
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2016 

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Footnotes

This investigator-initiated trial was funded using university funds; additionally, limited support from Medtronic Inc. was obtained; the protocol is registered at Clinical-Trials.gov with the identifier NCT01095263.

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