Depression is an incredibly important disorder—according to Thomas Schlaepfer, head of the department of interventional biological psychiatry at the University of Freiburg, at least 20 percent of people have a depressive episode at least once in their lives. And while most patients' symptoms improve with a combination of psychotherapy and medicine, up to 20 percent of depressed patients do not improve from existing treatments. Dr. Schlaepfer and his colleagues have been conducting research on deep brain stimulation, in which implanted electrodes automatically deliver electrical impulses to a particular region of the brain. Have a listen to learn more! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy