Studying a new way to treat depression

His work on this study has recently earned him a United States patent and could eventually lead to easier treatment options with fewer side effects for certain patients.

Romo-Nava, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at UC, associate chief research officer for the Research Institute at the Lindner Center of HOPE and a UC Health physician scientist, says this patent supports the study of a method to stimulate the brain-body communication pathways in the spinal cord by using investigational devices “no larger than a shoe box with cables and rubber electrodes.”

The brain and spinal cord are components of the central nervous system, he explains, and there are neural pathways, or tracts, that connect both. These pathways are made up of nervous tissue, including neurons and other cells, and can send information from the body to the brain or from the brain to the body.

“We think that a relatively small electrical current applied through the skin, which can barely be felt by the patient and will not hurt them, will moderate the brain-body communication neural pathways in the spinal cord and will impact certain regions of the brain,” Romo-Nava says, adding they are in the beginning stages of studying this method and are trying to determine how often and long the stimulation sessions should occur.

“We are starting with a duration of 20 minutes each, three times per week for eight weeks,” he says. “We are currently at 65% of the enrollment goal of 20 subjects. After we complete this study, we plan to evaluate the results to guide our next steps.”

Romo-Nava says he thinks of the interaction between the brain and the body as a self-regulating feedback circuit that is often disturbed in psychiatric disorders.

“If we can fix that disturbance, we may be able to improve both the mental and physical health of patients,” he says, adding that the initial pilot study was funded by a Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Grant. The foundation awards grants of the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression.

He says his team is beginning to study other aspects of brain-body communication through a National Institute of Mental Health Career Development Award and is working on the development of the Neuroscience of the Body Research Program within the Lindner Center of HOPE Research Institute to continue investigating this field.