Distinct striatal targets in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder and major depression.

Full Abstract

The ventral striatum, including the head of the caudate nucleus and the nucleus accumbens, is a putative target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depression (MD). However, the respective roles of these structures in the pathophysiology of OCD and MD remain to be clarified. To address this issue, DBS of the ventral striatum was tested in 2 patients with severely distressing and intractable forms of OCD and MD. Comparisons of clinical outcomes and anatomical data on electrode positioning showed that caudate nucleus stimulation preferentially alleviated OCD manifestations, whereas nucleus accumbens stimulation improved depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that the caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens participate differently in the pathogenesis of both of these psychiatric conditions.

Author information

Author/s: Aouizerate, Bruno (B); Cuny, Emmanuel (E); Bardinet, Eric (E); Yelnik, Jerome (J); Martin-Guehl, Corinne (C); Rotge, Jean-Yves (JY); Rougier, Alain (A); Bioulac, Bernard (B); Tignol, Jean (J); Mallet, Luc (L); Burbaud, Pierre (P); Guehl, Dominique (D);

Affiliation: Service de Psychiatrie, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, Centre Carreire, France. bruno.aouizerate(-atsign-)u-bordeaux2.fr

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Case Reports; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of neurosurgery (J Neurosurg), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Oct; vol 111 (issue 4) : pp 775-9

Dates: Created 2009/10/02; Completed 2009/10/23;

PMID: 19284243, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/23/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.