The NCP is surgically implanted in a patient's left upper chest and is connected to the vagus nerve in the neck by way of a flexible lead. Signals from the NCP travel through the lead, up the vagus nerve, and into the brain. As one of 20 centers in the United States that will conduct the double-blind study, UPMC will implant the device in up to 30 patients. Each patient will be evaluated for approximately 12 weeks after getting the device.
Depression is more than just the blues.
It is a serious psychiatric disorder that causes problems in relationships at home and at work. The disease affects about 5 percent of the population of the United States at any given time. Women are twice as likely to suffer depression. Numerous antidepressant drugs are available to treat the disease, and most people respond to a combination of drugs and talk therapy. However, approximately 30 percent of the estimated 1.5 percent of the general population with severe, recurrent episodes of depression has a form that is resistant to conventional treatment.