Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville will participate in a nationwide clinical study about the use of deep brain stimulation as an intervention for patients with major depression. The stimulation uses mild pulses of current to regulate specific areas of the brain, much like a pacemaker uses pulses of current to regulate the heart.
The stimulation is being done in an area of the brain that is believed to function differently in people with major depression and appears to be overactive when people are profoundly sad.
Vanderbilt was chosen for the study because of its experience with neuromodulation and treating psychiatric illness.