Method of treating psychiatric disorders by electrical stimulation within the orbitofrontal cerebral cortex

Abstract

A method for treating psychiatric diseases such as Anxiety disorder (including General Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disease, and Panic Disorder), Affective Disorder(including Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder) by neuromodulation (either chemical or electrical) of the frontal cerebral cortex, and in particular regions within the orbitofrontal cerebral cortex. The method includes the steps of determining a common group of patients, each suffering from a common specific diagnosis for a psychiatric disorder; determining which common regions of the patients' orbitofrontal cerebral cortex are involved in the pathogenesis of the abnormal electrical and chemical activity associated with the psychiatric disease; surgically implanting an electrode and/or catheter and electrical signal generating device and/or drug-delivery pump such that the electrode and/or catheter is positioned within the region of the frontal cerebral cortex known as the orbitofrontal cortex; and selectively adjusting the level of electrical and/or chemical stimulation in accordance with the specific effect of the stimulation of the patient. In particular, the region of the frontal cerebral cortex most frequently associated with psychiatric disorders is the orbitofrontal cortex.