Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Official title: Toward Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Funded at Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-11323974 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project studies how targeting brain networks with DBS could improve symptoms for people with OCD who don’t respond to standard treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $794,297 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH130666-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11323974 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with OCD who are refractory to conventional treatments and are being considered for DBS.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not candidates for DBS or who do not undergo brain stimulation would not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If you have OCD and conventional therapies haven’t helped, this research explores whether stimulating specific brain networks can better reduce symptoms. The team plans to compare which brain connectivity signals (structural vs. functional) best guide DBS settings to achieve the strongest, most consistent improvement. They will build on a large multi-center OCD DBS dataset to test network-based targets and determine how best to personalize treatment. The work aims to move toward clinical trials that use network maps to tailor DBS for individual patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to more effective, personalized DBS targets and better symptom relief for OCD patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous multi-center OCD DBS studies suggest network-targeted approaches can improve outcomes, but definitive guidance for clinical use remains to be established.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fox, Michael D — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Fox, Michael D
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.