Neuropsychological safety of nucleus accumbens deep brain stimulation for major depression: effects of 12-month stimulation.

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc-DBS) has antidepressant effects in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, limited information exists regarding the impact of NAcc-DBS on cognitive functioning. The aim of this study was to examine whether NAcc-DBS in patients with TRD has any cognitive effects.

Methods: A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered to 10 patients with TRD before onset of bilateral NAcc-DBS and after 1 year of DBS stimulation. Neuropsychological testing covered the domains of attention, learning and memory, executive functions, visual perception, and language. Performance was analyzed at baseline and after 1 year of continuous DBS.

Results: No evidence was found for cognitive decline following NAcc-DBS comparing test results after 1 year of NAcc-DBS with baseline. However, significantly improved cognitive performance on tests of attention, learning and memory, executive functions and visual perception was found. In addition, there was a general trend towards cognitive enhancement from below average to average performance. These procognitive effects were independent of the antidepressant effects of NAcc-DBS or changes in NAcc-DBS parameters.

Conclusions: These results not only support cognitive safety of NAcc-DBS but also stress its beneficial role in augmenting cognitive performance in patients with TRD.