Deep brain stimulation of the subgenual cortex for treatment of refractory bipolar disorder: case report and literature review

Introduction Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed for the treatment of severe and refractory major depressive disorder, including DBS of Broadman's area 25 (BA 25 subgenual cortex). Report We report DBS of this cerebral region in a patient affected by long-lasting disabling and drug-resistant bipolar disorder previously submitted to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and vagal nerve stimulation (VNS). Results After the procedure and at 2.5 years follow-up the patient presented substantial improvement of depressive symptoms and maintained a stable drug therapy regimen Discussion Our results suggest a possible therapeutic role for BA 25 DBS even in patients affected by bipolar disorder previously treated by ECT and VNS.