Stimulation

This book describes several aspects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in neuropsychiatry: inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms of the human brain, the use of TMS in the research and treatment of cognitive disorders, various aspects of TMS application aimed at the cerebellum, its effects on impulsivity in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and borderline personality disorder, its effects in the treatment of tinnitus and obsessive-compulsive disorder, pain and chronic headache, and finally the safety of TMS for staff.

Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Frontier in Psychiatry provides an overview of current developments and the future possibilities of deep brain stimulation for patients with therapy-refractory psychiatric disorders. The side-by-side presentation of clinical applications and animal research provides a truly translational approach. Also included is a special chapter on the ethical issues involved in deep brain stimulation in psychiatry.

This book provides a far-sighted perspective on the role of wearable and wireless systems for movement disorder evaluation, such as Parkinson’s disease and Essential tremor. These observations are brought together in the application of quantified feedback for deep brain stimulation systems using the wireless accelerometer and gyroscope of a smartphone to determine tuning efficacy.

The first evidence that electrical changes can cause muscles to contract was p- vided by Galvani (1791). Galvani’s ideas about ‘animal electricity’ were explored during the 19th and 20th century when it was firmly established that ‘electricity’ is one of the most important mechanisms used for communication by the nervous system and muscle. These researches lead to the development of ever more soph- ticated equipment that could either record the electrical changes in nerves and muscles, or elicit functional changes by electrically stimulating these structures. It was indeed the combination of these two methods that elucidated many of the basic principles about the function of the nervous system. Following these exciting findings, it was discovered that electrical stimulation and the functions elicited by it also lead to long-term changes in the properties of nerves and particularly muscles.

The amputation of a limb is a surgical intervention used as a last resort to remove irreparably damaged, diseased, or congenitally malformed limbs where retention of the limb is a threat to the well-being of the individual. The procedure traumatically alters the body image, but often leaves sensations that refer to the missing body part, the phantom limb. In 50-80% of cases, these sensations are perceived as painful and referred to as 'Phantom Limb Pain'.