University Medical Center doctors and University professors developed and are applying an innovative new depression-fighting technique using an implant connecting to the brain.
The University doctors and professors, in conjunction with hospitals across the nation, developed the concept for the Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy System. The completed product, a machine created by Cyberonics Inc., is being used for cases of Treatment-Resistant Depression in which common treatments such as antidepressants are ineffective, said Randolph J. Canterbury, head of the University's clinical program for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.
The therapy works through a surgical implantation of a small generator beneath the skin in the chest that eventually connects to the brain, Canterbury said.
"There is a wire that runs from [the generator] into the neck and attaches to an electrode which is wrapped around the left Vagus nerve" [in the brain], he said.
As opposed to the conventional methods of prescribing antidepressants for patients, Canterbury explained the implant specifically targets neurotransmitters that are characteristically low with depression.
"It turns on the circuits that are abnormal in depressed people," Canterbury said. "It increases levels in three neurotransmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine."
According to Cyberonics Inc., the treatment, which was approved by the FDA in July, can be used to help "the nearly 19 million Americans every year" with serious depression.
Cyberonics Inc. recently awarded the University Health System as a Center of Excellence for its work with VNS and recognizes it as a national referral center, Canterbury said.
Local physicians can use the treatment while still retaining their primary role in the patients' well-being, Canterbury said.
"A psychiatrist in Charlottesville, Staunton or in our surrounding area would identify patients that haven't gotten better with standard treatment and would send them to me," he said.
Canterbury, who also is a professor of Psychiatric Medicine at the University, said the treatment is two-fold in its applications for students.
"First of all there could be students that are candidates for treatment," Canterbury said. "In the national study for Vagus Nerve treatment, there were participants in the study as young as 18."
He also said the treatment can be used as a teaching tool in the University Medical School.
"Students will be able in the future to take an elective to learn about brain stimulation technique," he said.
Jenny Oliver, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Charlottesville-Albermarle, said there are numerous avenues for help for those who suffer from depression.
"When people are in transitions in their lives, they often experience ups and downs," Oliver said. "They've got the University's own health service and counseling service. They have the University Department of Psychiatry Services. If they have access to health insurance, then there are a range of private therapists of one sort or another."
Oliver said the MHA of Charlottesville-Albemarle has referral information available to the public.
She also said she suggests depression screening for people who believe they might be suffering from depression.
"The idea of the screening is to help people understand whether their feelings or thoughts are in a range that would [be expected] when people are in transition," Oliver said.
The University has a number of resources for depression screening such as the University's Counseling and Psychological Services and Students for Mental Health Awareness, Oliver said.
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