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Neurostimulation
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# Neurostimulation Portal: Mind & Cognition Stage: Clinical in defined indications Evidence: Clinical practice Template: Device Risk: Moderate Reversibility: Partly reversible Last reviewed: Jun 2026 == Summary == Stimulating the brain with implanted or external devices is established therapy for some conditions — and a contested tool for enhancement. == Key takeaways == * Deep brain stimulation is standard care for some movement disorders; TMS is used for depression. * Effects depend heavily on precise targeting and the condition treated. * Enhancement claims for stimulation in healthy people are weak and inconsistent. == Modalities == Neurostimulation spans invasive and non-invasive tools. Deep brain stimulation implants electrodes to modulate specific circuits and is established for Parkinson's disease and some other disorders. Transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation act from outside the skull and are used, with more variable effect, for depression and research. What unites them is the idea that behavior and symptoms can be shifted by changing the activity of targeted circuits — which works best when the target and the disorder are well understood. == Therapy versus enhancement == For defined medical indications, the evidence is real and, for DBS, sometimes dramatic. The picture is murkier for enhancement: stimulation studies in healthy people often show small, task-specific effects that do not reliably generalize. Invasive stimulation carries surgical risk, and even non-invasive methods raise questions about durability, individual variability, and unsupervised consumer use. == Open questions == * Which enhancement effects survive rigorous, blinded testing? * How should consumer brain-stimulation devices be regulated? == Watchlist == * Closed-loop stimulation * Home neuromodulation safety * Enhancement replication == References == * Deep brain stimulation: current and emerging — Lozano et al., Nature Reviews Neurology, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30692608/. Reviews established and emerging DBS applications. * TMS for depression — O'Reardon et al., Biological Psychiatry, 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17573044/. Pivotal trial supporting TMS for major depression. == Categories == [[Category:Mind & Cognition]] [[Category:DBS]] [[Category:TMS]] [[Category:neuromodulation]]