Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27504631›Full record

ArticlePloS one2016

Deep Brain Stimulation of Medial Dorsal and Ventral Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in OCD: A Retrospective Case Series.

Mohammad Maarouf, Clemens Neudorfer, Faycal El Majdoub, Doris Lenartz, Jens Kuhn, Volker Sturm

Abstract readCase Reports
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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  3. Associations among mediodorsal thalamic-ventrolateral prefrontal cortical white matter fiber dispersion and OCD-related incompleteness.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Mohammad MaaroufDepartment of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center (CMMC), University of Witten/Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
Clemens NeudorferDepartment of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center (CMMC), University of Witten/Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
Faycal El MajdoubDepartment of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center (CMMC), University of Witten/Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4188-6648
Doris LenartzDepartment of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center (CMMC), University of Witten/Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
Jens KuhnDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Johanniter Hospital Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Germany.
Volker SturmDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe current notion that cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits are involved in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has instigated the search for the most suitable target for deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, despite extensive research, uncertainty about the ideal target remains with many structures being underexplored. The aim of this report is to address a new target for DBS, the medial dorsal (MD) and the ventral anterior (VA) nucleus of the thalamus, which has thus far received little attention in the treatment of OCD.

methodsIn this retrospective trial, four patients (three female, one male) aged 31-48 years, suffering from therapy-refractory OCD underwent high-frequency DBS of the MD and VA. In two patients (de novo group) the thalamus was chosen as a primary target for DBS, whereas in two patients (rescue DBS group) lead implantation was performed in a rescue DBS attempt following unsuccessful primary stimulation.

resultsContinuous thalamic stimulation yielded no significant improvement in OCD symptom severity. Over the course of thalamic DBS symptoms improved in only one patient who showed "partial response" on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive (Y-BOCS) Scale. Beck Depression Inventory scores dropped by around 46% in the de novo group; anxiety symptoms improved by up to 34%. In the de novo DBS group no effect of DBS on anxiety and mood was observable.

conclusionMD/VA-DBS yielded no adequate alleviation of therapy-refractory OCD, the overall strategy in targeting MD/VA as described in this paper can thus not be recommended in DBS for OCD. The magnocellular portion of MD (MDMC), however, might prove a promising target in the treatment of mood related and anxiety disorders.

Indexed as

Mediodorsal Thalamic NucleusVentral Thalamic NucleiAdultAnxietyDeep Brain StimulationDepressionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedObsessive-Compulsive DisorderQuality of Health CareRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID27504631
PMCPMC4978440

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.