![]() ![]() ![]() It appears as though VNS can improve issues like severe depression by changing levels of neurotransmitters in your brain, including serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, and glutamate, the NIMH explains. Pulse generators typically work for around 10 years before they need to be replaced, the NIMH says. From its command center in your chest, the pulse generator will send bursts of electric currents to your brain every couple of minutes. An electrical wire connects the pulse generator to your vagus nerve, which runs from your brain through your neck and into your chest and abdomen. ![]() If you’re getting this kind of therapy, doctors will surgically implant a tool called a pulse generator into the upper left portion of your chest, the NIMH explains. So, the FDA approved VNS for treatment-resistant depression in 2005.Īlthough VNS is a brain stimulation treatment, it actually starts outside your head. Vagus nerve stimulation was initially developed as a treatment for the seizure disorder epilepsy, and in a happy accident, scientists discovered that it could help with depression as well, the NIMH explains. This is known as unilateral ECT, and it’s the more modern take on bilateral ECT, the older form of the treatment that is linked with more intense memory issues, the NIMH says. The memory loss might sound alarming, but it’s usually temporary, and it seems to be less severe if the ECT electrodes are on just one side of the head instead of both. The most common side effects someone might experience after ECT are headaches, an upset stomach, muscle aches, and memory loss, the NIMH says. The difference is that ECT seems to engage the same brain systems as conventional antidepressants more powerfully and possibly more quickly as well, Dr. There’s also evidence that ECT affects neurotransmitters that impact your mood, like serotonin and dopamine, which some antidepressants also target. One theory holds that the seizures change blood flow in various parts of the brain such as the amygdala, which is linked with your emotions. “We don't know the exact mechanisms by which ECT works,” Dr. ![]()
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