Helen S. Mayberg facts for kids

Helen S. Mayberg, born in California in 1956, is an American doctor who studies the brain. She is a neurologist, which means she specializes in the nervous system. Dr. Mayberg is famous for her work on how the brain works differently in people with severe depression. Her research led to a new treatment called deep brain stimulation (DBS). This treatment helps people with depression that hasn't gotten better with other methods.

Dr. Mayberg has written many articles and books about her research. She also holds a patent for a method to treat mood and anxiety disorders using brain stimulation. Companies have used her ideas to develop treatments for severe depression. As of 2018, she works as a professor at Mount Sinai Medical School and Emory University. She also directs a special center at Mount Sinai that focuses on advanced brain circuit treatments.

Understanding Brain Activity and Depression

Dr. Mayberg's research in brain science started because she noticed something important. She saw that mental health diagnoses often didn't have clear brain evidence. She believed that if doctors could map how brain activity works, it would help them understand and treat mental health conditions better.

How Brain Scans Help Study Depression

Dr. Mayberg studies depression by using different types of brain scans. These scans include Positron emission tomography (PET), sMRI, fMRI, DTI, and EEG. These tools help her see what's happening inside the brain. She also looks at how people behave and their body's responses. This helps her understand how the brain works and how different treatments affect it.

She works to find special signs in brain images. These signs can help doctors figure out which patients might respond best to certain treatments. Her goal is to find the best way to help each person with depression.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Depression

Dr. Mayberg also focuses on testing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for depression that is hard to treat. DBS involves placing tiny wires in specific parts of the brain. These wires send small electrical pulses. This treatment has been used since the 1990s to help people with conditions like Parkinson's.

Dr. Mayberg and her team developed a DBS treatment for severe depression. They placed electrodes in a specific area of the brain called Brodmann area 25. This area is connected to parts of the brain that control things like appetite and sleep, which are often affected by depression.

Her idea is sometimes called a "pacemaker for the brain." It's like the electrical pulses help correct the brain's activity. This can help both the cause and the symptoms of depression. Early results were promising, even though some studies were stopped. Dr. Mayberg continued her research because she saw positive changes in patients.

Current research is trying to understand why DBS works for some patients but not others. One study led by Dr. Mayberg showed something interesting. When patients received stimulation during surgery, their brain activity changed quickly. This change, a decrease in a specific brain wave called "beta wave," was linked to a lasting reduction in depression symptoms. This beta wave change might be a new way to tell if DBS is working.

Discussions and Ethical Questions

Meditation and Brain Health

In 2017, Dr. Mayberg met with the Dalai Lama to talk about mindfulness and meditation. They discussed how meditation might affect the brain. The Dalai Lama wondered if the brain affects the mind, or if the mind affects the brain.

Dr. Mayberg shared how DBS helps people with severe depression. They thought that meditation could improve brain waves important for mental health. However, they also discussed that for very depressed people, a biological treatment like DBS might be needed first. This could help them get to a point where they can even begin to meditate.

Understanding Neuroethics

One important topic around DBS is neuroethics. This looks at the ethical questions that come up when we change the brain. Some people worry that DBS might change a patient's personality or cause other unwanted feelings.

However, Dr. Mayberg points out that people with severe depression often feel like they've lost themselves. She believes that DBS can help restore their sense of self.

In 2014, Dr. Mayberg spoke about her experiences with neuroethics. She stressed that severely depressed patients are usually clear-thinking. She said it's important for doctors and patients to talk openly and understand each other's expectations. She also believes that patients' own words about their experiences should be included in medical studies.

Brain Science and the Law

Neurolaw is a field that explores how brain science might be used in legal cases. For example, some people have wondered if brain scans could be used to prove someone's guilt or innocence in court.

Dr. Mayberg and other experts have argued that brain science is not yet ready for this. They believe that brain scans cannot currently predict if someone will commit a crime. Using brain analysis in court could lead to wrong conclusions.

Recognitions and Groups She Belongs To

Groups and Associations

Dr. Mayberg is a member of many important groups. These include the Governing Board of the International Neuroethics Society and the Institute Of Medicine. She is also active in the Society for Neuroscience and the American Neurological Association. She helps guide several scientific journals, like Human Brain Mapping and Brain Stimulation.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Mayberg has received many honors and awards for her work. She was elected to the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars in 2018. She also received the Steven E. Hyman Award for her important contributions to neuroethics in 2018.

In 2008, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. She also became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017 and the National Academy of Inventors in 2016. Other awards include the Gold Medal Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry in 2014 and the Joan and Stanford Alexander Award in Psychiatry in 2013.