Psychiatric Neuromodulation Program
Stimulating the brain with electrical or magnetic currents provides alternative methods of treating devastating psychiatric illnesses. There are now over a half-dozen methods in regular use or development that use devices to modulate brain activity, often referred to as 'neuromodulation.' This includes one of the oldest treatments in psychiatry -- electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and some of the newest. The FDA has recently approved Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for severe depression that does not respond to conventional treatment with drugs and therapy. In psychiatry, the primary focus of neuromodulation is treatment resistant depression, or 'TRD.' Studies are underway with techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) in TRD, but other psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, and chronic pain syndromes, are also under study.
The Psychiatric Neuromodulation Program is a multi-disciplinary group that includes psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, psychologists, nurse practitioners and social workers. Its mission it to provide state of the art clinical neuromodulation therapy, and conducts active, multi-disciplinary research in neuromodulation, seeking a better understanding of psychiatric illness and better treatments.
Click on individual neuromodulation clinical treatment options to learn more about the individual programs, including how to make a referral for treatment.
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) Program
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)