Feature Neuroscience

What’s it like to live with deep brain stimulation for depression?

Learning to live with the treatment comes with physical and emotional challenges

A photo of the connector cords used for external electrodes on a cap which can be seen on a man's head in the background.

External electrodes on a cap measure Jon Nelson’s neural signals as part of a research project to see how the brain changes with DBS.

AIDAN KAHN

By Laura Sanders

Electricity Saved My Brain

This is the fourth part in a series on deep brain stimulation for depression. Read from the beginning.

[Content note: This story contains discussion of suicide.]

“The only thing I’ll slightly complain about — and it’s very vain — I only wish the batteries in your chest didn’t show up so much,” says Patient 001.