DBS sparks hope for people with OCD
A Queensland-led study has found deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective in severe, treatment-resistant OCD.
The RCT of nine adults compared active and sham stimulation of electrodes in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) posterior to the nucleus accumbens and inferomedial to the ventral pallidum.
The blinded study found a statistically-significant difference in the Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) reduction in favour of active stimulation after three months (p = 0.025, mean difference 4.9 points, 95 % CI = 0.8–8.9).
All patients were then switched on and referred for a course of ERP-based CBT. There was a mean YBOCS reduction of 49.6% and seven participants meeting the threshold for clinically-significant response after 12-months of open-label stimulation.
Serious adverse events reported included deviation of one electrode requiring reimplantation, two patients requiring psychiatric admissions for recurrence of depressive symptoms, and one infection requiring device explantation.
The researchers, including neurologist Professor Peter Silburn, said their findings add to the emerging literature supporting the use of DBS as a therapy in otherwise treatment-resistant OCD.
Most AFL players have signs of CTE
More than 80% of retired AFL players show signs of impaired neurological functioning that back their self-reported concerns around memory, mood problems and movement disorders, a neuroscientist from Australia’s Sports Brain Bank says.
Professor Alan Pearce of LaTrobe University, Victoria said testing revealed warning signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) were evident in most of the 162 former AFL/VFL football players with a history of concussion.
He said the worrying findings supported a 30 day return-to-play standown period for players affected by concussion. However the AFL’s recently updated concussion guidelines only call for players to be sidelined for 12 days.