Chronic Therapeutic Brain Stimulation: History, Current Clinical Indications, and Future Prospects

First performed over 50 years ago, chronic electrical stimulation of the human brain has only recently begun to achieve its clinical potential. The dramatic benet of the technique in the treatment of severe movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), essential tremor, and dystonia, has spurred its use in a number of other disease conditions. These include epilepsy, chronic pain, and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), treatment-resistant depression, and Tourette’s syndrome, while other emerging indications await.