Deep brain stimulation of the subgenual cingulum and uncinate fasciculus for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been investigated for neuropsychiatric disorders. In this phase 1 trial, we treated four posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients with DBS delivered to the subgenual cingulum and the uncinate fasciculus. In addition to validated clinical scales, patients underwent neuroimaging studies and psychophysiological assessments of fear conditioning, extinction, and recall. We show that the procedure is safe and potentially effective (55% reduction in Clinical Administered PTSD Scale scores). Posttreatment imaging data revealed metabolic activity changes in PTSD neurocircuits. During psychophysiological assessments, patients with PTSD had higher skin conductance responses when tested for recall compared to healthy controls. After DBS, this objectively measured variable was significantly reduced. Last, we found that a ratio between recall of extinguished and nonextinguished conditioned responses had a strong correlation with clinical outcome. As this variable was recorded at baseline, it may comprise a potential biomarker of treatment response.