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A study by a team of Nimhans researchers has revealed how the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) to regulate extreme cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD, has yielded positive results.
The researchers, specializing in Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, studied in detail how Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is reportedly a highly complex and precise neurosurgical treatment that involves the stimulation of specific parts of the brain using electrodes. fine. While DBS is administered to treat neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, encouraging results have been obtained over the past two decades with DBS for psychiatric conditions such as OCD, the researchers concluded.
The researchers HD Spoke said it is recommended only for seriously ill patients who do not improve with non-invasive treatments such as medications and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In the study, they looked at patients who underwent DBS at Nimhans and compared them to a subset of patients who were treated medically. In their interim analysis, of the nine patients who underwent surgery, up to five showed a complete response and two showed a partial response. This was then compared to six patients who did not undergo surgery, among whom only one partially responded.
Dr Dwarakanath Srinivas of the Department of Neurosurgery at Nimhans, who performed the surgeries, said: “There are standard treatment guidelines that specify criteria for selecting suitable patients for these types of surgical interventions. While globally OCD is an emerging indication, this study is the first of its kind in India.”
Dr Shyam Sundar of the Department of Psychiatry who runs the OCD Clinic at Nimhans said HD“The positive side of the DBS technique is that the alterations it can cause in the brain are reversible and can be regulated after surgery, unlike older techniques such as capsulotomy, where the changes made in the brain cannot be changed in case of adverse side effects. .”
He added: “Overall, unexpected outcomes associated with deep brain stimulation are very minor, up to 2%. When some of our patients showed mild side effects such as tremors in hands and legs, we adjusted the stimulation by external regulation.”
With a global prevalence of approximately 2% per population, OCD symptoms typically include repetitive, unwanted thoughts that cause anxiety, forcing the individual to perform compulsive tasks to decrease anxiety. The most common presentations include fears of contamination associated with washing, doubts and repeated checking, sorting or counting, and having disgusting thoughts, which can sometimes be sexual or aggressive.
(Published March 9, 2024, 10:11 p.m. IST)