Deep brain stimulation successful for treatment of severely depressive patient

Deep brain stimulation successful for treatment of severely depressive patient

Neurosurgeons in Heidelberg perform the world's first operation on the 'habenula' to treat depression; cooperation with psychiatrists from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim

IMAGE: The habenula is a tiny double structure in the diencephalon. For stimulation two electrodes are implanted. The picture shows the pathway of an electrode in the brain. Click here for more information. 

A team of neurosurgeons at Heidelberg University Hospital and psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim have for the first time successfully treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the brain.