image: Allison C. Waters, Ph.D.
Credit: BBRF
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is hosting a free webinar, “Optimizing Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET. The presenter is Allison C. Waters, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Waters is also the recipient of a 2019 BBRF Young Investigator Grant. Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., President & CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, and host of the public television series Healthy Minds is the webinar host. Register today at BBRFoundation.org
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both. People with OCD have time-consuming symptoms that can cause significant distress and interfere with daily life. However, treatment is available to help people manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Circuit-based models of brain function have helped to identify neuropathologies that likely underlie certain psychiatric symptoms. Such insights have suggested highly specific targets for deep-brain stimulation, a therapy in which surgically implanted electrodes modify the activity of neural circuits thought to be involved in pathology. Treatment success, however, depends in part on personalized adjustment of deep-brain stimulation after the electrodes have been implanted. There is a pressing need to identify biomarkers to confirm target engagement and to guide the amount of stimulation delivered over time in specific patients. This presentation offers an overview of the advancements made and challenges faced in reaching this objective, in treatments designed to reduce symptoms of OCD.
About Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awards research grants to develop improved treatments, cures, and methods of prevention for mental illness. These illnesses include addiction, ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD, and schizophrenia, as well as research on suicide prevention. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than $450 million to fund more than 5,400 leading scientists around the world. 100% of every dollar donated for research is invested in research. BBRF operating expenses are covered by separate foundation grants. BBRF is the producer of the Emmy® nominated public television series Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, which aims to remove the stigma of mental illness and demonstrate that with help, there is hope.