Brain stimulation is a medical technique that consists of applying electrical or magnetic impulses to specific areas of the brain with the goal of regulating or modifying its activity. It is an advanced and effective tool for the treatment of serious neurological and psychiatric diseases, especially in cases where traditional treatments, such as medications or therapy, do not achieve satisfactory results. By acting directly on specific neural circuits, this technique allows precise modulation of brain activity, alleviating disabling symptoms and improving the quality of life for affected individuals.
The main disorders commonly treated by brain stimulation include:
- Parkinson’s disease: This neurodegenerative disorder causes tremors, stiffness, and movement problems. Brain stimulation is primarily used to improve the quality of life for patients with severe motor symptoms that do not respond to conventional medications.
- Dystonia: Brain stimulation has been shown to be effective in treating this disease, which causes involuntary muscle contractions. It is especially useful when other treatments have not been successful.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Severe OCD often does not respond to therapy or medication. Brain stimulation is an approved option in certain countries for those patients with treatment-resistant OCD, helping to regulate brain areas related to compulsion and anxiety.
- Epilepsy: Brain stimulation is used in cases of drug-resistant epilepsy to reduce the frequency of seizures, activating regions of the brain that help control neuronal activity.
- Major depressive disorders: Brain stimulation has been explored as an alternative for those who do not respond to antidepressants or therapy.
Additionally, brain stimulation can improve symptoms and brain functions in patients with other severe neurological or psychiatric disorders, such as:
- Treatment-resistant depression: This technique is used to relieve the symptoms of people with severe depression who do not respond to medication or therapy.
- Schizophrenia: Brain stimulation is also applied in individuals with schizophrenia, especially to reduce negative symptoms such as lack of motivation and to enhance cognitive functions.
- Tourette syndrome: In severe cases where medications are not effective, which occur in a small proportion, brain stimulation helps reduce motor and vocal tics by intervening in areas of the brain that control motor skills and inhibition.
- Chronic pain: Brain stimulation is used for individuals with chronic pain, including neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia, to reduce pain in cases that do not respond to conventional treatments.
- Post-stroke rehabilitation (stroke): This technique is used to improve the recovery of motor and language functions in people with sequelae after a stroke.
Brain stimulation techniques are also enabling research into how the brain can “reorganize” or adapt after damage, such as that which occurs in strokes. For example, in stroke patients, it has been shown that stimulation of specific areas can enhance the abilities of other regions to assume lost functions. This ability to reconfigure may be key not only to recovery, but also to better understanding how the brain adapts to various conditions.
In this way, the study of brain circuits through stimulation helps to better understand the causes of complex disorders and supports the development of more precise treatments, which not only relieve symptoms but also target the biological causes of diseases.
The refinement of brain stimulation techniques has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of complex diseases, opening new perspectives for patients and fostering significant advances in clinical neuroscience. In this context, the European META-BRAIN project seeks to contribute to this improvement through an innovative approach based on magnetoelectric nanoarchitectures and ultrasound technologies. The goal is to optimize interventions in specific areas of the brain through minimally invasive techniques.
