Programmed acute electrical stimulation of ventral tegmental area alleviates depressive-like behavior

Alexander Friedman, Michael Frankel, Yakov Flaumenhaft, Avia Merenlender, Albert Pinhasov, Yuval Feder, Michal Taler, Irit Gil-Ad, Moshe Abeles, Gal Yadid*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

73 Scopus citations

Abstract

Depressive disorders affect approximately 5% of the population in any given year. Antidepressants may require several weeks to produce their clinical effects. Despite progress being made in this area there is still room and a need to explore additional therapeutic modes to increase treatment effectiveness and responsiveness. Herein, we examined a new method for intervention in depressive states based on deep brain stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as a source of incentive motivation and hedonia, in comparison to chemical antidepressants. The pattern of stimulation was fashioned to mimic the firing pattern of VTA neurons in the normal rat. Behavioral manifestations of depression were then monitored weekly using a battery of behavioral tests. The results suggest that treatment with programmed acute electrical stimulation of the VTA substantially alleviates depressive behavior, as compared to chemical antidepressants or electroconvulsive therapy, both in onset time and longitudinal effect. These results were also highly correlated with increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA levels in the prefrontal cortex.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1057-1066
Number of pages10
JournalNeuropsychopharmacology
Volume34
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • BDNF
  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Depression
  • Reward
  • Ventral tegmental area

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Programmed acute electrical stimulation of ventral tegmental area alleviates depressive-like behavior'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this