Deep Brain Stimulation: A Pacemaker for the Brain

Brian H. Kopell, MD's team of experts from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has become the first in the United States to perform a deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation procedure as part of the TRANSCEND trial, investigating this technology for treatment-resistant depression. Kopell shared more about this procedure and its importance for patients with TRD with Psychiatric Times.

The device consists of 2 electrodes that are about 1.3 millimeters in diameter. They are placed in specific circuits in the brain, attached subcutaneously to a pacemaker unit in the upper chest region. This device has been used over the last 3 decades for refractory movement disorders like Parkinson disease.

Dr Kopell is a professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience. He serves as director of the Center for Neuromodulation and codirector of The Bonnie and Tom Strauss Center for Movement Disorders at the Mount Sinai Health System. He has pioneered the use of intraoperative imaging during deep brain stimulation.