Vagus nerve stimulation for treatment-resistant mood disorders: a long-term naturalistic study.

BMC Psychiatry. 2015 Mar 31;15(1):64.

Vagus nerve stimulation for treatment-resistant mood disorders: a long-term naturalistic study.

Albert U¹, Maina G², Aguglia A³, Vitalucci A⁴, Bogetto F⁵, Fronda C⁶, Ducati A⁷, Lanotte M⁸.

Author information

• ¹Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. umberto.albert@unito.it.
• ²Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. giuseppe.maina@unito.it.
• ³Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. andrea_aguglia@yahoo.it.
• ⁴Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. alberto.vitalucci@unito.it.
• ⁵Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. filippo.bogetto@unito.it.
• ⁶Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. chiara.fronda@unito.it.
• ⁷Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. alessandro.ducati@unito.it.
• ⁸Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Unit, University of Torino, via Cherasco 11, 10126, Turin, Italy. michele.lanotte@unito.it.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Limited therapeutic options are available for patients with treatment-refractory major depression who do not respond to routinely available therapies. Vagus nerve stimulation showed adjunctive antidepressant effect in chronic treatment resistant depression, even though available studies rarely exceed 2-year follow up. We report a naturalistic 5-year follow up of five patients who received VNS implant for resistant depression (3 patients with major depressive disorder and 2 with bipolar disorder).

METHODS:

Response was defined as a reduction of the 17-item HDRS total score ≥50% with respect to baseline, remission as a score ≤7.

RESULTS:

Response and remission rates were both 40% (2/5) after 1 year, and 60% (3/5) at 5 years. Two patients withdrew from the study because of side effects or inefficacy of stimulation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our case series showed that long-term VNS may be effective in reducing severity of depression in a small but significant minority of patients, although two patients had stimulation terminated because of adverse effects and/or refusal to continue the study.

PMID:

25884606

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25884606