What is Brain Stimulation?
Brain stimulation is a technique which involves introducing electric currents to the brain to interrupt brain function. Researchers can use brain stimulation to study the workings of the brain and to explore specific neurological and psychological conditions, and this technique is also used in the treatment of some medical conditions. While psychosurgery, as surgery on the brain with the goal of inducing functional changes is known, has some negative associations thanks to brutal procedures carried out in the 20th century, brain stimulation has some promising applications. Neurologists have also taken a number of steps to assure patients that brain stimulation procedures are very different from the procedures used in psychiatric care in the 1950s and 1960s. In deep brain stimulation, electrodes are implanted inside the brain and positioned to deliver electric current to specific targeted areas. Rather than causing structural changes in the brain, the electrodes are meant to interrupt e
Brain stimulation represents a new discipline in psychiatry focused on using magnetic or electrical energy to improve brain function. These techniques are used both for research and for treatment in major psychiatric disorders that do not always respond fully to conventional treatments, such as medication or psychotherapy. Stimulation with electrical or magnetic energy interacts with neurons, causing them to release chemicals called neurotransmitters, and possibly also helping form more healthy synapses, or connections, between nerve cells. Repeated stimulation can modulate or “reset” the activity of specific regions of the brain to exert significant changes. Brain stimulation therapy uses both traditional and brand new methods of applying energy. It is not a replacement for medications, but it may be added onto medications to improve outcome. As with other treatments, brain stimulation has a risk of side effects that should be discussed thoroughly with your doctor before making a deci
