Advance on treatment of major depression with deep brain stimulation

About 1/3 of patients with major depression cannot benefit from regular antidepressant therapy, psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT). Currently, deep brain stimulation (DBS), as a new treatment, has been used to treat major depression. However, only a few medical centers have performed DBS in major depression, and the number of cases is limited. DBS for treating major depression is still in clinical trial stage due to unclear mechanism, lacking of effective stimulation targets, no uniform stimulation parameters, and controversial efficacy. This article reviews mechanism, indications, stimulation parameters, curative effect, complications and future trends of DBS in the treatment of major depression. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2018.12.002