Method of treating psychological disorders by brain stimulation within the thalamus

摘要

A method for treating psychological disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder by stimulation of the thalamus, and in particular regions within the anterior and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus. The method includes the steps of determining a common group of patients, each suffering from a common specific diagnosis for a psychological disorder; determining which common region of the patients' thalami are involved in carrying the pathological electrical signals which may otherwise be generated in dissimilar and disparate regions of the brains of the patients; surgically implanting an electrode and electrical signal generating device such that the electrode is positioned within the region of the thalamus identified as the common nexus; and selectively adjusting the level of electrical stimulation in accordance with the specific effect of the stimulation of the patient. In particular, the regions of the thalamus most frequently associated with psychological disorders are the anterior and intralaminar nuclei.