St. Jude Medical has received a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for their deep brain stimulation technology that focuses on Brodmann Area 25 to treat severe, refractory depression.

Brodmann Area 25 is a structure within the subcollosal gyrus region of the brain. It is the focus of the St. Jude Medical BROADEN(TM) (Brodmann Area 25 DEep brain Neuromodulation) study, which is evaluating whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy can help people who suffer from major depressive disorder, a severe form of depression. This study is being conducted under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), which was announced in February 2008.

“This patent is a cornerstone in developing our approach to deep brain stimulation for depression, which is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. among illnesses,” said Chris Chavez, president of St. Jude Medical’s ANS Division. “The BROADEN study provides hope for a meaningful new therapy to the millions of patients still seeking treatment for their severe depression.”

On April 4, St. Jude Medical enrolled the first patient, a woman from Chicago, in the BROADEN study. The patient will be implanted with the Libra(R) Deep Brain Stimulation System, an investigational device, at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Chicago.