Method of treating psychological disorders by brain stimulation within the thalamus

A method of therapeutically treating a psychological disorder by means of an implanted electrode coupled to an electrical signal source comprising the steps of:

• identifying a specific psychological disorder exhibited by a patient;
• surgically implanting said electrode in the brain of said patient so that a distal end thereof lies in communication with a predetermined treatment site in the thalamus of the brain, which predetermined treatment site is in correspondence with the common site exhibiting pathological electrical activity across a large sampling of patients exhibiting said specific psychological disorder, said predetermined site being selected from the group consisting of the the anterior and intralaminar nuclei;
• coupling a proximal end of said electrode to said electrical signal source;
• and
• operating said electrical signal source to stimulate said predetermined treatment site in the thalamus of the brain, whereby the effects of psychological disorder are reduced.

A method of determining the proper therapeutic treatment for, and subsequently treating a specific psychological disorder by means of an implanted electrode coupled to an electrical signal source comprising the steps of:

• identifying a large sampling of patients, each exhibiting a common specific psychological disorder;
• identifying which common region of the thalamus exhibits pathological electrical activity during manifestations of the specific psychological disorder, said common region thereafter constituting a predetermined treatment site;
• surgically implanting said electrode in the brain of each of said patients so that a distal end thereof lies in communication with the predetermined treatment site in the thalamus of the brain, said predetermined site being selected from the group consisting of the anterior and intralaminar nuclei;
• coupling a proximal end of said electrode to said electrical signal source;
• and
• operating said electrical signal source to stimulate said predetermined treatment site in the thalamus of the brain, whereby the effects of psychological disorder are reduced.