Update on deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a commonly used neurosurgical form of therapeutic brain stimulation that has been demonstrated to be safe, well tolerated, and effective for the treatment of essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, and primary dystonia. These particular uses have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Investigational studies using DBS have been conducted for refractory epilepsy, obesity, chronic pain, tardive dyskinesia, Tourette syndrome, and other movement disorders, but none of these studies has led to FDA approval for these indications. Although the use of DBS has been approved by the FDA under a Humanitarian Device Exemption for the treatment of treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder, studies systematically investigating the potential use of DBS for various severe chronic psychiatric disorders are in their earliest stages, and further studies are warranted.