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Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), used to treat epilepsy since 1997, received FDA approval as an adjunctive therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Three multicenter studies, supported by the manufacturer of the implantable VNS device and conducted by the same research team, have now examined the device’s short- and longer-term efficacy in a group of 222 patients with clearly refractory depression (current episodes had failed to respond to 2–6 adequate trials of treatment, including ECT in one third of patients). All patients underwent surgery for device implantation.
All patients had experienced at least four lifetime depression episodes, or the current episode had lasted at least 2 years (average illness duration, 25.5 years). About 10% o…