Scientific American has posted a guest blog on their MIND feature from psychiatrist Don Malone of the Cleveland Clinic. He has been involved with research on Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for a number of brain conditions including obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Here is his article:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2014/10/28/a-miracle-technology-can-lift-severe-depressionbut-real-recovery-has-only-just-begun/

My first reaction to this article was, “Why have the patients he describes received trials of medication, counseling, electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), and other treatment modalities, but not EEG neurotherapy before undergoing as drastic and invasive a procedure as DBS.” DBS involves introducing a foreign object, a wire, into the brain. It needs to be connected with the electronic stimulator. This has the potential to be a major cause of complications just as any time the integrity of the body is breached. On top of all this, it seems to work well in only about 50% of those who undergo the procedure and it is very expensive to set up and maintain.

EEG neurofeedback significantly helps around 80% of those who undergo neurotherapy for depression and OCD. It is non-invasive and usually costs considerably less than 1/10th of initial DBS. Few patients need follow up neurofeedback sessions to maintain their functional gains. Wouldn’t this be a much more productive way to spend our healthcare dollars? Those who seem to be good candidates for DBS after a fair trial of EEG neurofeedback could then be referred on for the procedure.

Secondly, I agree with the main premise of his blog. While a few people seem to grab better brain function and soar with it, others need to be coached and counseled into using their brains in ways that they have never know or realized possible. This is a learning process and like any learning process takes time, effort and persistence. Brain health needs to be supported by excellent health habits such as diet, exercise, sleep, appropriate brain challenges, good mental health support, and minimizing stress. Quick and easy fixes are rare.