Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment-resistant depression. The surgically implanted VNS device delivers regular electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, which connects to the brain areas involved in mood. Now research reports that VNS therapy can help relieve the symptoms of depression, when other antidepressant treatments haven't worked. Depression is a common and serious condition and is projected to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide in 2020.
The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, compared the effect of usual treatment to VNS plus usual treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, analyzed the data of 124 participants with treatment-resistant depression receiving usual depression treatment and 205 participants with treatment-resistant depression receiving VNS plus usual depression treatment, for 12 months. The participants had similar baseline demographic, psychiatric and treatment histories, and treatment resistance.
Researchers found that 27 percent of the VNS group had an improvement in depression symptoms, as compared to 13 percent of the usual treatment group. The two groups were administered similar treatment, including drugs and electroconvulsive therapy, during follow-up.
"This comparison of two similar but nonrandomized treatment-resistant depression groups showed that VNS plus treatment as usual was associated with a greater antidepressant benefit over 12 months," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1. George MS et al. A one-year comparison of vagus nerve stimulation with treatment as usual for treatment-resistant depression. Biol Psychiatry 2005 Sep 1;58(5):364-73.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on November 24, 2006 03:14 PM
