But about a million people don't respond to standard treatments. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and other medical centers are testing a new treatment that may give these people hope. The technique is called vagus nerve stimulation. It's often used to treat epilepsy, but in a recent study, doctors found that it also can treat depression. The vagus nerve carries information to the parts of the brain that control mood.
Doctors implant a wire along the nerve and attach it to a small generator implanted in the chest.
The generator sends tiny electrical pulses through the wire, which stimulates the vagus nerve. In an initial trial of the treatment, about 40 percent of the participants experienced a 50 percent improvement in their condition. Some improved enough to return to normal activities. These were patients who had tried medication for their depression, without any relief. Doctors plan to continue testing the new treatment on more patients.