The Power of Brain Network Stimulation for Mood Disorders

The Power of Brain Network Stimulation for Mood Disorders

Alik Widge, MD, PhD

Alik Widge, MD, PhD

Ali kWidge, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist and biomedical engineer. Clinically, Dr. Widge provides brain stimulation treatments for mood, anxiety, and substance disorders. These include deep brain stimulation, cortical stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. His research focuses on developing these treatments further, particularly the creation of new "closed loop" devices. These devices sense brain signals in real-time and deliver energy in a planned and rational fashion, compensating for each patient's specific brain network abnormalities. Dr. Widge's laboratory (TNE Lab) prototypes new stimulation paradigms and targets in rodent models, conducts clinical trials of these new technologies, and searches for biomarkers of illness and recovery to guide next-generation therapies. 

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America

In Conversation with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America

As a professional membership organization grounded in scientifically accepted protocols, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) values our diverse network of members, which includes clinicians, researchers, therapists, psychiatrists, students, and trainees. In Conversation with ADAA is a series of interview blogs with some of our most knowledgeable members whose collaborative work, dedication, and passion in the field of mental health allows us to bring more awareness, resources, treatment information, and hope to the public. These interviews and blogs authored by ADAA are conducted and written by the communications team at ADAA, reviewed for accuracy by mental health professionals, and available to public and professional audiences. Brought to you by ADAA members who generously give their time and expertise, these conversations and blogs offer insight, evidence-based information and resources, and a very human connection as they shed light on various topics and aspects of depression, anxiety and related disorders.

Boost Search Results
Off

The Power of Brain Network Stimulation for Mood Disorders

Share
Yes
The Power of Brain Network Stimulation for Mood Disorders  Alik Widge

Dr. Alik Widge, a Minnesota-based psychiatrist and biomedical engineer, wants to build a world where people suffering from mental health illnesses are able to regain control of their brains.

Sounds like a premise for a good science-fiction novel but Alik Widge, MD, PhD, who was called a “clinical brain engineer” in a TEDx Talk about healing mental illness through brain network stimulation, isn’t writing fiction. Dr. Widge presented at ADAA’s 2023 conference on how he believes “mental disorders are brain network disorders” and how treatments like Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) are quite possibly the wave of the future for certain mood and anxiety disorders, and particularly those that are treatment-resistant. 

In his conference session, Direct Electrical/Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Mood Disorders (while not the most interesting title, it was indeed a fascinating topic), Dr. Widge said he practices traditional clinical psychiatry but also uses engineering principles to help treat mental illness.

Think of a Computer and All its Parts

More common treatments for anxiety, depression and other mood disorders tend to be medication or therapy, or even a combination of both. Dr. Widge says these treatments, while helpful for many, treat the disorder indirectly. 

DBS, TMS and VNS, on the other hand, are what he calls “circuit treatments” that directly target the brain. To make sense of neuromodulation, or technology that acts directly upon nerves, Dr. Widge refers to a computer. 

“Think about the brain as a computational engine composed of interactive sub-parts that pass messages back and forth – a lot like a computer does,” he said. “For our minds to function, communication has to happen in the brain network among all these parts.”

Dr. Widge believes mental illnesses occur when that communication breaks down and that there is a sort of loss of control in a part of the sufferer’s brain. He refers to someone with substance abuse disorder where the person living with the addiction feels controlled by their craving. There is no flexibility in the person’s thought pattern, he says, and that inflexibility is seen in a variety of mental illnesses.

What Do the Treatments Involve?

Dr. Widge’s patients are often treatment-resistant, suicidal, psychotic, or catatonic and his evidence-based lab work and treatments with brain network stimulation have proved effective, though success rates vary. His work has shown that through these treatments, the “stimulations that cause change in the brain build up” and over time and numerous treatments, for example of DBS, lasting change can result.

“Clients with incredibly treatment-resistant depression have responded well to deep brain stimulation,” said Dr. Widge in his conference session. “It is invasive, requiring a long surgery and a hospital stay, but it’s basically a ‘brain pacemaker’ that delivers constant stimulation.” 

VNS is another invasive treatment that also requires surgery to implant a small stimulator under the skin in the chest area which targets the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve sends signals from the gut to the brain.

“It’s a minimally invasive implant and it works but it’s slow,” Dr. Widge explained, “so it is often an adjunct therapy. Some side effects like exercise intolerance and voice changes occur.” He adds that it has about a 66 percent response rate.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is also slow and uncertain, says Dr. Widge, with about a 50 to 60 percent success rate. It’s a daily treatment for a period of four to six weeks with about 20 to 30 visits.

“With TMS, the patient might need relapse prevention like medication or therapy but retreatment often works,” he said.
TMS, being nonsurgical, is regarded as safe but it too can have some non-serious side effects, including discomfort during treatment and headaches or dizziness. 

Limitations, But Sometimes Lifesaving Treatments

Nearly a billion people worldwide are living with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, depression or another mood disorder, and one million of them die by suicide every year. Dr. Widge estimates around 1.5 million Americans try to kill themselves on an annual basis.

These treatments, according to Dr. Widge, are all expensive, logistically complex, and there are always risks, particularly for the invasive options. Each treatment comes with its own set of side effects, protocols and timeframes, and with no guarantee of success.

“But they’re better than doing nothing,” said Dr. Widge, “and when they work, they change someone’s life, often forever.”
 

Alik Widge, MD, PhD

Alik Widge, MD, PhD

Ali kWidge, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist and biomedical engineer. Clinically, Dr. Widge provides brain stimulation treatments for mood, anxiety, and substance disorders. These include deep brain stimulation, cortical stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. His research focuses on developing these treatments further, particularly the creation of new "closed loop" devices. These devices sense brain signals in real-time and deliver energy in a planned and rational fashion, compensating for each patient's specific brain network abnormalities. Dr. Widge's laboratory (TNE Lab) prototypes new stimulation paradigms and targets in rodent models, conducts clinical trials of these new technologies, and searches for biomarkers of illness and recovery to guide next-generation therapies. 

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America

In Conversation with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America

As a professional membership organization grounded in scientifically accepted protocols, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) values our diverse network of members, which includes clinicians, researchers, therapists, psychiatrists, students, and trainees. In Conversation with ADAA is a series of interview blogs with some of our most knowledgeable members whose collaborative work, dedication, and passion in the field of mental health allows us to bring more awareness, resources, treatment information, and hope to the public. These interviews and blogs authored by ADAA are conducted and written by the communications team at ADAA, reviewed for accuracy by mental health professionals, and available to public and professional audiences. Brought to you by ADAA members who generously give their time and expertise, these conversations and blogs offer insight, evidence-based information and resources, and a very human connection as they shed light on various topics and aspects of depression, anxiety and related disorders.

Use of Website Blog Commenting

ADAA Blog Content and Blog Comments Policy

ADAA provides this Website blogs for the benefit of its members and the public. The content, view and opinions published in Blogs written by our personnel or contributors – or from links or posts on the Website from other sources - belong solely to their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ADAA, its members, management or employees. Any comments or opinions expressed are those of their respective contributors only. Please remember that the open and real-time nature of the comments posted to these venues makes it is impossible for ADAA to confirm the validity of any content posted, and though we reserve the right to review and edit or delete any such comment, we do not guarantee that we will monitor or review it. As such, we are not responsible for any messages posted or the consequences of following any advice offered within such posts. If you find any posts in these posts/comments to be offensive, inaccurate or objectionable, please contact us via email at [email protected] and reference the relevant content. If we determine that removal of a post or posts is necessary, we will make reasonable efforts to do so in a timely manner.

ADAA expressly disclaims responsibility for and liabilities resulting from, any information or communications from and between users of ADAA’s blog post commenting features. Users acknowledge and agree that they may be individually liable for anything they communicate using ADAA’s blogs, including but not limited to defamatory, discriminatory, false or unauthorized information. Users are cautioned that they are responsible for complying with the requirements of applicable copyright and trademark laws and regulations. By submitting a response, comment or content, you agree that such submission is non-confidential for all purposes. Any submission to this Website will be deemed and remain the property of ADAA.

The ADAA blogs are forums for individuals to share their opinions, experiences and thoughts related to mental illness. ADAA wants to ensure the integrity of this service and therefore, use of this service is limited to participants who agree to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Refrain from transmitting any message, information, data, or text that is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, that may be invasive of another 's privacy, hateful, or bashing communications - especially those aimed at gender, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, religious views or disability.

Please note that there is a review process whereby all comments posted to blog posts and webinars are reviewed by ADAA staff to determine appropriateness before comments are posted. ADAA reserves the right to remove or edit a post containing offensive material as defined by ADAA.

ADAA reserves the right to remove or edit posts that contain explicit, obscene, offensive, or vulgar language. Similarly, posts that contain any graphic files will be removed immediately upon notice.

2. Refrain from posting or transmitting any unsolicited, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain mail," "pyramid schemes" or any other form of solicitation. ADAA reserves the right to delete these posts immediately upon notice.

3. ADAA invites and encourages a healthy exchange of opinions. If you disagree with a participant 's post or opinion and wish to challenge it, do so with respect. The real objective of the ADAA blog post commenting function is to promote discussion and understanding, not to convince others that your opinion is "right." Name calling, insults, and personal attacks are not appropriate and will not be tolerated. ADAA will remove these posts immediately upon notice.

4. ADAA promotes privacy and encourages participants to keep personal information such as address and telephone number from being posted. Similarly, do not ask for personal information from other participants. Any comments that ask for telephone, address, e-mail, surveys and research studies will not be approved for posting.

5. Participants should be aware that the opinions, beliefs and statements on blog posts do not necessarily represent the opinions and beliefs of ADAA. Participants also agree that ADAA is not to be held liable for any loss or injury caused, in whole or in part, by sponsorship of blog post commenting. Participants also agree that ADAA reserves the right to report any suspicions of harm to self or others as evidenced by participant posts.

RESOURCES AND NEWS
Evidence-based Tips & Strategies from our Member Experts
RELATED ARTICLES
Block reference