RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Remission of alcohol dependency following deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens: valuable therapeutic implications?
JF Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
JO J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 1152
OP 1153
DO 10.1136/jnnp.2006.113092
VO 78
IS 10
A1 Jens Kuhn
A1 Doris Lenartz
A1 Wolfgang Huff
A1 SunHee Lee
A1 Athanasios Koulousakis
A1 Joachim Klosterkoetter
A1 Volker Sturm
YR 2007
UL http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/78/10/1152.abstract
AB Chronic consumption of alcohol represents one of the greatest health and socioeconomic problems worldwide. We report on a 54-year-old patient with a severe anxiety disorder and secondary depressive disorder in whom bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens was carried out. Despite the absence of desired improvement in his primary disorder, we observed a remarkable although not primarily intended alleviation of the patient’s comorbid alcohol dependency. Our case report demonstrates the extremely effective treatment of alcohol dependency by means of DBS of the nucleus accumbens and may reveal new prospects in overcoming therapy resistance in dependencies in general.