Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Neurosurgeon Studying if Deep Brain Stimulation Helps with Bipolar Disorder

May 26, 2016 By University Hospitals Case Medical Center

Jennifer Sweet, MD, a neurosurgeon at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, recently opened a clinical research study to learn if there is a structural target in the brain for patients suffering from bipolar disorder and whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) can bring them relief.

Participants are being recruited through the UH Mood Disorders Program, which treats about 1,000 patients annually with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. Each of these cycles can last for weeks or months. It is among the leading causes of disability in young adults worldwide, according to Dr. Sweet, who is also an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

While many patients respond to medications, most do not have complete control of cycling, and others have little or no response. It is hoped that DBS can help such non-responsive patients, or perhaps down the line even patients whose response to drugs become less effective over time.

Dr. Sweet’s study has two parts that will continue for at least three years. In the first part, currently underway and continuing through this year, she actively is enrolling 10 bipolar type I patients who do not respond to medications, 10 bipolar type I patients who do respond to treatment, and 10 healthy volunteers.

Participants will get a specialized type of MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging sequences, which can see how water molecules spread through the brain to create three dimensional maps of neurons in their brains. Dr. Sweet and her team will look for “connectivity” differences in structures among the different groups of participants.

“There are no obvious structural abnormalities in bipolar patients that can be seen with conventional MRI, but perhaps we can show that while Point A is still connected to Point B in bipolar patients, this connection or wiring is not functioning properly. Maybe the ‘cables’ aren’t as strong as in healthy controls,” said Dr. Sweet.

The biologic cables she refers to compose a fiber tract in the brain call the cingulum bundle that connects different parts of the gray matter in the frontal area of the brain.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health Web site, one MRI study found that the brain’s frontal area in adults with bipolar disorder tends to be smaller and function less well compared to adults without bipolar disorder. This area of the brain is involved in “executive” functions such as solving problems and making decisions.

Pinpointing differences in the structure of the cables may give neurosurgeons a new target for treating the disorder through DBS.

Once the first part of the study is complete, Dr. Sweet’s group will then recruit six of the bipolar participants who are unresponsive to medications and in whom structural imaging showed abnormal connectivity, to undergo a randomized, double-blinded pilot study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DBS.

The participants will undergo DBS surgery, researchers and participants will both be blinded to the state of the stimulator. Prior to, during, and after the study, patients will be provided routine clinical and research care by the UH Mood Disorders Program.

“Bipolar disorder is so debilitating for many of the people who have it, and it strikes at a younger age, so it is a disease with which patients must contend throughout their lives. If DBS works, it will offer hope for patients, especially those who get no relief from medications,” said Dr. Sweet.

The study is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health to the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been approved by the FDA for treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, and it is FDA approved under the Humanitarian Device Exemption for the treatment of dystonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Researchers also are exploring whether DBS can help improve life for patients with other disorders, such as unipolar depression, bipolar depression, and memory loss, among other diseases.

Related Articles Read More >

How this device broke through the blood-brain barrier
A photo of the miniature Auxilium Biotechnologies implants made on the International Space Station.
Implants 3D-printed in space could enable nerve regeneration
An illustration showing the Artedrone Sasha thrombectomy catheter approaching a blood clot.
This microrobot system is designed to float inside a stroke patient for autonomous thrombectomy
A photo of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy used for medical devices such as stents, heart valves, catheters and orthopedics.
What is nitinol and where is it used?
“mdo
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest medical device business news, application and technology trends.

DeviceTalks Weekly

See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe