Deep brain stimulation for pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established treatment for medically refractory movement disorders in adults such as Parkinson’s disease, tremor, and dystonia and is currently under investigation for treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and Tourette syndrome.14 DBS in the pediatric population has been approached carefully as there are considerations unique to children. The neural circuitry associated with neuropsychiatric conditions and targets for stimulation have been primarily studied in adults while the underlying circuits may not be the same or may respond differently to stimulation in the developing brain. For this reason, the applying of DBS in the pediatric population has been mainly limited to the treatment of dystonia whereas few, if any, reports document its use in other disorders such as epilepsy and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Here, we review the current status of DBS as treatment of childhood neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
