Neurosurgical interventions for psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Psychiatric disorders are among the most prevalent illnesses worldwide. Both medication and psychotherapy (alone or in combination) are evidence-based therapeutic steps in the treatment algorithm. In the past decades neurosurgical interventions for psychiatric disorders have attracted research interest and are sparsely introduced in the clinical field. The efficacy of these neurosurgical interventions (i.e. deep brain stimulation (DBS) and lesional neurosurgery) however remains under debate. We lack a full understanding of the pathophysiological basis of many psychiatric disorders. Researchers study multiple neuroanatomical targets within one psychiatric indication and multiple indications for electrical stimulation of one brain target. Stimulation parameter selection can still be improved.