Northstar neuroscience has created a device that can electrically stimulate the brain. The device that they have crafted is similar to a deep brain stimulation device. A person has to undergo surgery in order to get this device to activate their brain. However, instead of having an electrode implanted deep inside the brain, like with deep brain stimulation, it is implanted on the surface of the brain. This device can continuously electrically stimulate an area on the outer surface of the brain. So they would drill a hole in your head, but wouldn't have to actually punch a hole in your brain to a deeper position.
Instead, the device would lie just underneath your skull and on top of your brain. In a study on depressed patients the efficacy appears to be similar in size to transcranial magnetic stimulation when targeted to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It looks like the improvement in depressive symptoms is fairly modest and a more robust treatment method remains elusive.
"Through the initial eight week comparison period, the Hamilton scores improved 21% for subjects receiving active stimulation compared to 3% for Sham and the Montgomery-Asberg improved 22% versus 8% for Sham."
They have also used this device to attempt to improve stroke symptoms. However the device was not effective for this indication and was not significantly better than the fake treatment.
"To recap the EVEREST, the safety results confirm the positive safety profile that we documented in each of our cortical stimulation studies, however, the primary efficacy end point was not met."
They are also testing the device to improve the symptoms of tinnitus or ringing in a person's ear. As a treatment option I think the utility of this type of stimulation will be limited. In the future, non-invasive brain stimulation is much more likely to be used to improve brain disorders.
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