Last Thursday we had a post about a positive outcome of a study for treatment of depression by a deep brain stimulator system.
The device used in the study was the Kinetra® Dual-Channel Neurostimulator by Medtronic, and it is based on Soletra/Activa Therapy neurostimulators that are currently FDA-approved treatment options for people with debilitating movement disorders, such as advanced Parkinson’s disease and dystonia.
Medtronic explains:

Activa Therapy is currently an approved treatment option for people with debilitating movement disorders, such as advanced Parkinson’s disease and Dystonia. It uses one or two surgically implanted medical devices called neurostimulators, similar to cardiac pacemakers, to deliver electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas on each side of the brain. This is commonly called deep brain stimulation. The Kinetra accommodates two extensions/leads, and thus provides bilateral neurostimulation from a single neurostimulator. This same technology is also currently being evaluated in a Medtronic-sponsored multi-center US clinical trial as a therapy for treatment resistant epilepsy. To date, more than 25,000 patients worldwide have benefited from Activa therapy.