ID: 194014 Investigating Deep Brain Stimulation of the Habenula

The habenula, once considered a component of the “epithalamus,” is defined as a region located in the rostral segment of the dorsomedial thalamus. Over the years, several publications in rat and primate models have reported that habenular stimulation 1) induces increased serotonin levels in the striatum mediated through the dorsal raphe nucleus, 2) increases noradrenaline in the hippocampus, medial frontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens, and 3) inhibits dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. These myriad potential effects associated with stimulation of the habenula prompted investigation into the treatment of a variety of conditions including bipolar disorder (BD), obesity, major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia, OCD, and addiction. Here, we provide the first systematic review investigating the role of DBS of the habenula, including preclinical studies, human studies and clinical trials performed to date with an aim to synthesize our present knowledge in this rarely used target, and identify areas of future research focus.