2025 Mar 14, 20:57
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been found to be a feasible and well-tolerated method for treating major depressive disorder, according to a pilot clinical trial conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati. The trial involved 20 patients who underwent three weekly 20-minute SCS sessions over eight weeks. The results showed that patients who received active stimulation experienced a greater decrease in depressive symptom severity compared to the control group. This innovative approach suggests that modulating neural pathways between the brain and body through SCS can have a significant impact on mood regulation and potentially offer a new direction in the treatment of psychiatric disorders
The study was led by Principal Investigator Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, who focuses on understanding the role of brain-body communication in psychiatric disorders. The trial used a noninvasive spinal cord stimulation device that was about the size of a shoebox. The stimulation method aims to decrease the flow of information in the brain-body circuit to allow for better self-regulation by the brain. The trial results showed that the treatment was well-tolerated by patients, with only mild side effects such as skin redness and brief itching or burning sensations
The study also found that the current from the device reaches the spinal gray matter but does not reach the brain itself, supporting the hypothesis that modulation of these neural pathways can have an effect on mood-relevant areas in the brain. While the results are promising, the researchers caution that the study's small sample size limits the interpretation of these findings, and further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of this treatment.