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Balzekas I, Richardson JP, Lorence I, Lundstrom BN, Worrell GA, Sharp RR. Qualitative Analysis of Decision to Pursue Electrical Brain Stimulation by Patients With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy and Their Caregivers. Neurol Clin Pract 2024; 14:e200245. [PMID: 38585236 PMCID: PMC10996908 DOI: 10.1212/cpj.0000000000200245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Background and Objectives To understand why patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) pursue invasive electrical brain stimulation (EBS). Methods We interviewed patients with DRE (n = 20) and their caregivers about their experiences in pursuing EBS approximately 1 year post device implant. Inductive analysis was applied to identify key motivating factors. Results The cohort included participants aged from teens to 50s with deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, responsive neurostimulation, and chronic subthreshold cortical stimulation. Patients' motivations included (1) improved quality of life (2) intolerability of antiseizure medications, (3) desperation, and (4) patient-family dynamics. Both patients and caregivers described a desire to alleviate burdens of the other. Patient apprehensions about EBS focused on invasiveness and the presence of electrodes in the brain. Previous experiences with invasive monitoring and the ability to see hardware in person during clinical visits influenced patients' comfort in proceeding with EBS. Despite realistic expectations for modest and delayed benefits, patients held out hope for an exceptionally positive outcome. Discussion Our findings describe the motivations and decision-making process for patients with DRE who pursue invasive EBS. Patients balance feelings of desperation, personal goals, frustration with medication side effects, fears about surgery, and potential pressure from concerned caregivers. These factors together with the sense that patients have exhausted therapeutic alternatives may explain the limited decisional ambivalence observed in this cohort. These themes highlight opportunities for epilepsy care teams to support patient decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Balzekas
- Bioelectronics Neurophysiology and Engineering Laboratory (IB, BNL, GAW); Biomedical Engineering and Physiology Graduate Program (IB); Department of Neurology (IB, BNL, GAW); Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (IB); Biomedical Ethics Research Program (JPR, IL, RRS); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (JPR, IL, RRS); Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (JPR), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (IL), New York, NY
| | - Jordan P Richardson
- Bioelectronics Neurophysiology and Engineering Laboratory (IB, BNL, GAW); Biomedical Engineering and Physiology Graduate Program (IB); Department of Neurology (IB, BNL, GAW); Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (IB); Biomedical Ethics Research Program (JPR, IL, RRS); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (JPR, IL, RRS); Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (JPR), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (IL), New York, NY
| | - Isabella Lorence
- Bioelectronics Neurophysiology and Engineering Laboratory (IB, BNL, GAW); Biomedical Engineering and Physiology Graduate Program (IB); Department of Neurology (IB, BNL, GAW); Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (IB); Biomedical Ethics Research Program (JPR, IL, RRS); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (JPR, IL, RRS); Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (JPR), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (IL), New York, NY
| | - Brian Nils Lundstrom
- Bioelectronics Neurophysiology and Engineering Laboratory (IB, BNL, GAW); Biomedical Engineering and Physiology Graduate Program (IB); Department of Neurology (IB, BNL, GAW); Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (IB); Biomedical Ethics Research Program (JPR, IL, RRS); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (JPR, IL, RRS); Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (JPR), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (IL), New York, NY
| | - Gregory A Worrell
- Bioelectronics Neurophysiology and Engineering Laboratory (IB, BNL, GAW); Biomedical Engineering and Physiology Graduate Program (IB); Department of Neurology (IB, BNL, GAW); Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (IB); Biomedical Ethics Research Program (JPR, IL, RRS); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (JPR, IL, RRS); Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (JPR), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (IL), New York, NY
| | - Richard R Sharp
- Bioelectronics Neurophysiology and Engineering Laboratory (IB, BNL, GAW); Biomedical Engineering and Physiology Graduate Program (IB); Department of Neurology (IB, BNL, GAW); Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (IB); Biomedical Ethics Research Program (JPR, IL, RRS); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (JPR, IL, RRS); Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (JPR), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (IL), New York, NY
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Widge AS. Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation for Psychiatric Disorders. Harv Rev Psychiatry 2023; 31:162-171. [PMID: 37171475 PMCID: PMC10188203 DOI: 10.1097/hrp.0000000000000367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established approach to treating medication-refractory neurological disorders and holds promise for treating psychiatric disorders. Despite strong open-label results in extremely refractory patients, DBS has struggled to meet endpoints in randomized controlled trials. A major challenge is stimulation "dosing"-DBS systems have many adjustable parameters, and clinicians receive little feedback on whether they have chosen the correct parameters for an individual patient. Multiple groups have proposed closed loop technologies as a solution. These systems sense electrical activity, identify markers of an (un)desired state, then automatically deliver or adjust stimulation to alter that electrical state. Closed loop DBS has been successfully deployed in movement disorders and epilepsy. The availability of that technology, as well as advances in opportunities for invasive research with neurosurgical patients, has yielded multiple pilot demonstrations in psychiatric illness. Those demonstrations split into two schools of thought, one rooted in well-established diagnoses and symptom scales, the other in the more experimental Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework. Both are promising, and both are limited by the boundaries of current stimulation technology. They are in turn driving advances in implantable recording hardware, signal processing, and stimulation paradigms. The combination of these advances is likely to change both our understanding of psychiatric neurobiology and our treatment toolbox, though the timeframe may be limited by the realities of implantable device development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alik S Widge
- From the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Medical Discovery Team on Addictions, University of Minnesota
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Cabrera LY, Gilbert MMC, Achtyes ED, McCright AM, Bluhm R. Jumping through the hoops: Barriers and other ethical concerns regarding the use of psychiatric electroceutical interventions. Psychiatry Res 2022; 313:114612. [PMID: 35584563 PMCID: PMC10516532 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Stakeholders' perceptions of barriers to and other ethical concerns about using psychiatric electroceutical interventions (PEIs), interventions that use electrical or magnetic stimuli to treat psychiatric conditions like treatment-resistant depression (TRD), may influence the uptake of these interventions. This study examined such perceptions among psychiatrists, patients with depression, and members of the public. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 16 members of each group to examine their views on practical barriers and ethical concerns. We used qualitative content analysis to identify relevant themes, and compared findings across stakeholder groups. Access limitations to the interventions, including cost and availability of the interventions, cut across all PEIs-including those that are still experimental, and were raised by all groups. Most participants across all groups raised concerns about informed consent, in terms of receiving adequate, appropriate, and understandable information. Our results suggest that these three stakeholder groups perceive similar structural and attitudinal barriers to, and have similar ethical concerns about, using PEIs for TRD. These results identify key issues that must be addressed for the full potential of PEIs to be realized. Future research with larger samples will help to better understand how to address these barriers to treatment for individuals with TRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Y Cabrera
- Center for Neural Engineering, Department of Science and Mechanics and Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, W-316 Millennium Science Complex, PA 16802, United States.
| | - Maryssa M C Gilbert
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Eric D Achtyes
- Division of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States; Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Aaron M McCright
- Department of Sociology, College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Robyn Bluhm
- Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Letters, and Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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Zuk P, Torgerson L, Sierra-Mercado D, Lázaro-Muñoz G. Neuroethics of Neuromodulation: An Update. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2018; 8:45-50. [PMID: 30687802 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
This article reviews neuroethics issues that arise with the development, translation, and use of technologies for neuromodulation. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and PhilPapers) were searched for relevant articles published between 1/1/16 - 6/26/18. We focus on pressing ethical issues related to the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), adaptive DBS (aDBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and associated technologies. The neuroethics issues we address include privacy, continued access to devices, device removal, do-it-yourself neurostimulation, neuroenhancement, media coverage, changes in personal identity and agency, informed consent, and neuromodulation in minors. This review should be of assistance to a variety of stakeholders, including neurotechnology developers, as they make important decisions that will drive these neurotechnologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Zuk
- Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Philosophy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Laura Torgerson
- Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Demetrio Sierra-Mercado
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz
- Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been offered to patients suffering of severe and resistant neuropsychiatric disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (TS) and Major Depression (MDD). Modulation of several targets within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits can lead to a decrease of symptom severity in those patients. This review focuses on the recent clinical outcomes in DBS in psychiatric disorders. Studies on OCD and TS are now focusing on the long-term effects of DBS, with encouraging results regarding not only the decrease of symptoms, but also quality of life. They also highlighted efficient adjuvant techniques, like cognitive and behavioural therapy and support programs, to enhance an often-partial response to DBS. The application of DBS for MDD is more recent and, despite encouraging initial open-label studies, two large randomised studies have failed to demonstrate an efficacy of DBS in MDD according to evidence-based medicine criteria. Last years, DBS was also tested in other resistant psychiatric disorders, as anorexia nervosa and addiction, with encouraging preliminary results. However, today, no target – whatever the disease – can meet the criteria for clinical efficacy as recently defined by an international committee for neurosurgery for psychiatric disorders. Consequently, DBS in psychiatric disorders still needs to proceed within the frame of clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Hélène Clair
- Sorbonne University, UPMC Paris 06 University, INSERM, CNRS, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
| | - William Haynes
- Sorbonne University, UPMC Paris 06 University, INSERM, CNRS, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France.,Neurosurgery department, University Hospital of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Luc Mallet
- Sorbonne University, UPMC Paris 06 University, INSERM, CNRS, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France.,Psychiatry and Addictology Department - Neurosurgery Department, Personalized Neurology & Psychiatry University Department, University Hospitals Henri Mondor - Albert Chenevier, Créteil, France
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Mandarelli G, Moretti G, Pasquini M, Nicolò G, Ferracuti S. Informed Consent Decision-Making in Deep Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci 2018; 8:E84. [PMID: 29751598 PMCID: PMC5977075 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8050084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proved useful for several movement disorders (Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia), in which first and/or second line pharmacological treatments were inefficacious. Initial evidence of DBS efficacy exists for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, and impulse control disorders. Ethical concerns have been raised about the use of an invasive surgical approach involving the central nervous system in patients with possible impairment in cognitive functioning and decision-making capacity. Most of the disorders in which DBS has been used might present with alterations in memory, attention, and executive functioning, which may have an impact on the mental capacity to give informed consent to neurosurgery. Depression, anxiety, and compulsivity are also common in DBS candidate disorders, and could also be associated with an impaired capacity to consent to treatment or clinical research. Despite these issues, there is limited empirical knowledge on the decision-making levels of these patients. The possible informed consent issues of DBS will be discussed by focusing on the specific treatable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Mandarelli
- Department of Human Neurosciences (Former Department of Neurology and Psychiatry), "Sapienza" University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Germana Moretti
- Department of Mental Health, ASL Roma 5, 00034 Colleferro, Italy.
| | - Massimo Pasquini
- Department of Human Neurosciences (Former Department of Neurology and Psychiatry), "Sapienza" University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Nicolò
- Department of Mental Health, ASL Roma 5, 00034 Colleferro, Italy.
| | - Stefano Ferracuti
- Department of Human Neurosciences (Former Department of Neurology and Psychiatry), "Sapienza" University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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