Trials in America on a pacemaker-style implant to treat severe depression have shown dramatic results and could be available to treat British patients by next year.
The technique, known as deep brain stimulation (DBS), has already been pioneered with people severely affected by Parkinson's disease.
The technique uses electrical pulses, sent via implanted electrodes, to jam neural wiring circuits in a part of the brain linked to depression in patients for whom anti-depressants or electro-convulsive therapy have failed.
A team from the University of Bristol hopes to set up a centre to test DBS on British patients suffering severe depression.
