Direct Electrical Stimulation of Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Acutely Improves Mood in Individuals with Symptoms of Depression (Current Biology)

Using direct neurophysiological recordings, Rao et al. show that stimulation of lateral OFC produces acute, dose-dependent mood-state improvement in subjects with baseline depression. This stimulation broadly modulates mood-related circuitry, revealing a new brain stimulation target with strong therapeutic potential.