A new study conducted by researchers in Canada shows that electrical stimulation of the brain using a device described as a 'brain pacemaker,' may help severely depressed patients who do not respond to traditional treatments. The study was published in the journal 'Neuron.'

The electrical device was placed in the brains of six people who did not respond to other treatments for severe and chronic depression. Among the treatments that had failed were traditional therapy, medication and for some, electroshock therapy.

An electrical charge was applied to the electrodes that had been implanted in the patient's brain. The result: four of the six patients showed significant improvement in their moods and their sleeping patterns.

The researchers hypothesized that those with severe depression have too much activity in a part of the brain known as Cg25, dubbed 'the sadness center.'

'We thought that one strategy might be to go in and try to turn down the activity in these areas and to see whether that would have any benefit,' said Dr. Andres Lozano, one of the lead researchers involved in the study.

The results were immediate and often lasted for the entire six month period of the study. Because surgery is involved and there are always risks associated with it, this procedure will be reserved for only those suffering from the most severe cases of depression.

Additional studies will be necessary to make sure that the results of this rather small study are not a statistical anomaly. Still, researchers are encouraged that the early results hold a lot of promise for those that were previously considered unresponsive to treatment.