Posted by freedom2001 on May 20, 2003, at 22:35:25
Brain stimulation may improve OCD
May 13, 2003
Electrical stimulation of the brain may ease obsessive-compulsive disorder in treatment-resistant patients, early data show.
Fifteen patients with OCD -- with symptoms including obsessions, rituals and compulsive counting and washing -- had stimulation devices implanted deep in the brain, in a region known as the anterior limb of the internal capsule. Patients experienced a variety of changes, including mood elevation or depression, mild mania, less anxiety, increased alertness, irritability, nausea and decreased OCD symptoms.
Overall, patients reported an improved quality of life, said scientists led by Dr. Ali Rezai of the Cleveland Clinic. The data were reported last week in San Diego at a meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
poster:freedom2001
thread:227995
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/227995.html