Ace Therapeutics provides customized and efficient mapping protocols for deep brain stimulation services, optimizing lead placement to maximize treatment benefits and minimize side effects. We are dedicated to helping researchers understand cognitive function related to existing DBS targets, explore the neural mechanisms behind behavioral effects and evaluate new therapies for psychiatric disorders.

Introduction of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in Psychiatry

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an invasive neurosurgical intervention technique based on the stereotactic implantation of quadrupolar electrodes that deliver high-frequency electrical currents in specific subcortical or deep cortical structures. Several recent studies have shown that DBS can be applied to treat psychiatric disorders such as depression, anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. The rationale for using DBS to treat psychiatric disorders is based on its effectiveness in a variety of movement disorders and the development of detailed neuroanatomical models for modulating mood, cognition and behavior. recent advances in DBS device technology will lead to a new generation of mechanism-driven psychiatric trials. Therefore, more research is urgently needed to determine whether DBS is effective in treating psychiatric disorders and whether any benefits outweigh the risks and side effects.

Fig. 1 DBS of the ventral tegmental area alleviates hyperlocomotion and stereotyped behaviors in mice. (Lu C, et al.,2022)

DBS Services

Ace Therapeutics is dedicated to performing experimental DBS in animal models to evaluate new indications for psychiatric disorders and new technologies. We have developed electrode structures by using clinical principles to perform DBS unilaterally or bilaterally in free-ranging rodents. The approach has been validated in animal models of depression, OCD and addiction and the effects of DBS have been evaluated in different behavioral tasks measuring motor and cognitive function. In addition, our staff can provide highly customized, data-driven and efficient mapping protocols that can improve treatment outcomes without significantly increasing procedure time. We aim to assist in determining stimulus-induced treatment effects and side effects and provide scientific support for your ongoing research projects related to mental illness.

What Can We Help You Achieve in Psychiatry with DBS?

• Development of therapies for mental illness-related movement disorders
• Therapeutic development for refractory depression
• Direct measurement of pathological brain activity and the ability to deliver modifiable stimuli to achieve therapeutic results in neurological and psychiatric disorders associated with circuit dysfunction
• Opening new opportunities to access and interrogate faulty brain circuits and test the therapeutic potential of modulating the output of these circuits in a wide range of disorders
• Target development related to drug addiction

Our Advantages

• Adjustable and reversible, allowing the desired level of stimulation to be adjusted to provide maximum symptom relief and minimal side effects.
• Does not damage healthy areas of the brain and can be safely removed from the entire system.

Ace Therapeutics can help you explore the neural mechanisms of DBS in mitigating positive psychosis-like behavior by visualizing DBS-induced changes in specific types of activity in specific brain regions. With a strong background in psychiatric research, our staff can apply their expertise to help you advance research and therapy development for psychiatric disorders. If you would like more information about this service, please feel free to make an inquiry.

Reference

1. Lu C, et al. A preclinical study of deep brain stimulation in the ventral tegmental area for alleviating positive psychotic-like behaviors in mice. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022, 16:945912.