Cincinnati Edition: A new way to treat depression

UC researcher studies whether electrical stimulation of the spinal cord helps treat depression

A researcher at the University of Cincinnati is studying whether electrical stimulation of the spinal cord can be helpful in treating certain psychiatric conditions, like depression. Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, calls his research "neuroscience of the body in psychiatric disorders."

Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, demonstrating spinal cord stimulation at the Lindner Center of Hope.  Dr. Romo-Nava received patent to study ways to stimulate the spinal cord to treat depression.

Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, a University of Cincinnati researcher, applies the electrodes to a patient. Photo/Colleen Kelley

"We think that a relatively small electrical current applied through the skin, which can barely be felt by the patient and will not hurt them, will moderate the brain-body communication neural pathways in the spinal cord and will impact certain regions of the brain," Romo-Nava, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at UC, associate chief research officer for the Research Institute at the Lindner Center of HOPE and a UC Health physician scientist, says.

Listen to the full Cincinnati Edition segment from WVXU.

This news was also featured in a WVXU, 91.7-FM report.

Read the full UC News story.

Featured photo of device used in the study by Colleen Kelley.

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