Long-Term Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

For some severely ill patients, DBS provides long-term improvement, according to the largest case series to date.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is approved by the FDA for treatment of refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To assess long-term results, researchers reviewed data at an average of 7 years after DBS surgery in 50 Dutch patients (mean age, 42) with a mean illness duration of 25 years. The study participants had failed to respond to 12-week trials of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and augmentation with clomipramine and antipsychotic drugs.

DBS was delivered via electrodes in the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule (vALIC). Over the entire follow-up, scores on rating scales for OCD, anxiety, and depression decreased by 39%, 48%, and 50%, respectively. While 14% of patients achi…

Reviewing Author

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Long-Term Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Reviewing Author