On February 19th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “approved a humanitarian device exemption for the first implantable device that delivers intermittent electrical therapy deep within the brain to suppress the symptoms associated with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).”

Essentially, it is a pacemaker-like device that is implanted under the skin with four electrodes leading into areas of the brain. Such treatment has been used for movement disorders and likely modulates neural circuits that are hyperactive. This would be the first device for OCD. It is made by Medtronic, Inc. and is called the Reclaim Deep Brain Stimulator.

This type of treatment will likely be reserved for a small group of treatment-resistant individuals. According to Dr. Daniel Schultz, Director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, “Deep brain stimulation using the Reclaim system may provide some relief to certain patients with severe obsessive compulsive disorder who have not responded to conventional therapy. However, Reclaim is not a cure for OCD. Individual results will vary and patients implanted with the device are likely to continue to have some mild to moderate impairment in functioning and continue to require medications.”

Hopefully, this will prove to be more effective than the Vagus Nerve Stimulator treatment for depression.

We live in fascinating times.