Biological psychiatry
-
Biological psychiatry · Feb 2000
ReviewVagus nerve stimulation: a new tool for brain research and therapy.
Biological psychiatry has a long history of using somatic therapies to treat neuropsychiatric illnesses and to understand brain function. These methods have included neurosurgery, electroconvulsive therapy, and, most recently, transcranial magnetic stimulation. Fourteen years ago researchers discovered that intermittent electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve produces inhibition of neural processes, which can alter brain electrical activity and terminate seizures in dogs. ⋯ We review the neurobiology and anatomy of the vagus nerve and provide an overview of the vagus nerve stimulation technique. We also describe the safety and potential utility of vagus nerve stimulation as a neuroscience research tool and as a putative treatment for psychiatric conditions. Vagus nerve stimulation appears to be a promising new somatic intervention that may improve our understanding of brain function and has promise in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
-
Biological psychiatry · Feb 2000
Editorial CommentVagus nerve stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.
-
Biological psychiatry · Feb 2000
Reduced glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex in depression: an in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
Functional imaging studies suggest a specific role of the anterior brain regions in the pathogenesis of major depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible neurochemical alterations in the frontomesial cortex in patients with major depressive episode using in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS). ⋯ This study suggests a possible role of altered glutamatergic neurotransmission within the anterior cingulate in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. The otherwise unremarkable findings of major brain metabolites confirms lack of neurodegenerative or membrane metabolic changes in major depression.
-
Biological psychiatry · Feb 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAntidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients.
A growing body of preclinical research suggests that brain glutamate systems may be involved in the pathophysiology of major depression and the mechanism of action of antidepressants. This is the first placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial to assess the treatment effects of a single dose of an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist in patients with depression. ⋯ These results suggest a potential role for NMDA receptor-modulating drugs in the treatment of depression.