Year: 2007 Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica, v.19, no.3, (June 2007), p.208-210 SIEC No: 20080891

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nuclei can result in depression despite the obvious motor improvement. Two patients with serious life-threatening depressive episodes are described. In the first case, the trigger for depression was a slight adjustment of the left stimulating electrode’s contact. In the second case, reducing both the dopaminergic therapy & the voltage of the deep brain stimulation resulted in the manifestation of depressive symptoms. (19 refs)