Brit nurse first person to be ‘cured’ of depression by pioneering surgery
January 25th, 2011 - 5:59 pm ICT by ANILondon, Jan 25 (ANI): A British nurse has become the first person in the world to be cured of depression from neurosurgery.
Sheila Cook suffered from for more than a decade with debilitating depression, which left her suicidal and often unable to feed, or cloth herself.
But now the 62-years-old is beginning to enjoy life again after pioneering treatment was offered to her in Bristol.
Cook - whose illness had stopped responding to conventional treatments such as antidepressants - was offered deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the first trial in the world that stimulates two different parts of the brain.
Although DBS provided some temporary response, she relapsed and went on to be the first to have further advanced neurosurgery called an “Anterior Cingulotomy”, which was carried out in early 2010.
Since having the treatments Cook said her life has changed and she feels happy for the first time in 10 years.
“The effects were remarkable. Within a few weeks my life changed,” the Telegraph quoted Cook as saying,
DBS consists of inserting thin wires in the brain that are connected to a matchbox sized “pacemaker” inserted under the skin that provides constant electric stimulation.
The effects are to inhibit and stimulate brain circuits that are either too active or underactive. These brain circuits are known to be involved with the regulation and control of emotion. (ANI)
- Brain surgery overcomes incurable case of depression - Jan 25, 2011
- Pioneering treatment could benefit people with severe depression - Jan 25, 2011
- Stimulating brain's pleasure centre may help treat depression - Jan 27, 2010
- Brain pacemakers may help fight depression: Study - Feb 01, 2011
- Magnets may help treat major depression - Oct 12, 2010
- Weak current could zap you out of blues - Mar 09, 2012
- New Treatment For Depression: Brain Pacemakers? - Feb 23, 2011
- Magnetic pulse therapy may help treat depression: Study - May 10, 2012
- Tickling brain part boosts memory cells - Sep 21, 2011
- 'Brain pacemaker' - effective treatment for Parkinson's disease - Jun 03, 2010
- New brain stimulation treatment may help treat depression - Oct 14, 2009
- A pacemaker in brain can treat epilepsy - Mar 21, 2012
- Scientists shed light on cellular basis of depression - Feb 24, 2011
- Anti-depressants doing more harm than good: Study - Apr 25, 2012
- Magnetic pulses could overcome depression, schizophrenia - Feb 08, 2012
Tags: antidepressants, brain circuits, british nurse, cingulotomy, control of emotion, conventional treatments, dbs, deep brain stimulation, depression, different parts of the brain, electric stimulation, first person, london jan, matchbox, neurosurgery, pacemaker, parts of the brain, sheila, telegraph, thin wires