Describe the three types of brain stimulation therapies, including how each is conducted, how successful they have been in treating different disorders, and any side effects of these treatments

What will be an ideal response?

ANSWER: Answer will include that brain stimulation therapies achieve their effects by altering the electrical activity of the brain with the three types of therapy being electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was the first, and most dramatic, of the brain stimulation therapies. Widely used since the 1940s, it remains controversial to this day. Although ECT is mainly used to treat depression, it is still used to treat other disorders. In ECT, a 150-volt electrical current is passed through the brain for slightly less than a second. This rather drastic medical treatment for depression triggers a convulsion and causes the patient to lose consciousness for a short time. Muscle relaxants and sedative drugs are given before ECT to soften its impact. Treatments are given in a series of sessions spread over several weeks or months. It is actually the seizure activity that is believed to be helpful. Proponents of ECT claim that shock­induced seizures alter or "reset" the biochemical and hormonal balance in the brain and body, bringing an end to severe depression and suicidal behavior as well as improving long-term quality of life. Others have charged that ECT works only by confusing patients so they can't remember why they were depressed. Not all professionals support the use of ECT. However, most experts seem to agree on the following: (1) At best, ECT produces only temporary improvement. It gets the patient out of a bad spot, but it must be combined with other treatments; (2) ECT can cause memory loss in some patients; (3) ECT should be used only after other treatments have failed; and (4) to lower the chance of a relapse, ECT should be followed by antidepressant drugs. All told, ECT is considered by many to be a valid treatment for selected cases of depression, especially when it rapidly ends wildly self- destructive or suicidal behavior. It's interesting to note that most ECT patients feel that the treatment helped them. Most, in fact, would have it done again. Unlike ECT, deep brain stimulation (DBS) requires surgery to implant electrodes but allows for electrical stimulation of precisely targeted brain regions. In some studies, depressed patients who hadn't benefited from drug therapy and ECT improved when a specific brain region was stimulated. Stimulating pleasure centers in the brains of another group of patients also relieved depression. Also, unlike ECT, DBS can be used to treat disorders other than depression, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Recently, a less invasive therapy has been developed that also has fewer side effects. This new technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses magnetic pulses to temporarily block activity in specific parts of the brain. By applying TMS to parts of the frontal lobe, Paulo Boggio and his colleagues were able to change the way people made decisions while gambling. Thus, this technique might become a