Hospital tries electrode implant in brain to treat alcoholism

Fifty-five-year-old businessman Arumugam (name changed) from Sathyamangalam in Erode District was addicted to alcohol for decades. Though, he was given medications and counselling he could not give up the habit. Later, he lost control over his lip movement and developed memory loss and other complications. His family decided to give DBS a try. 

The doctors said it took time to convince Arumugm and his family that it would not affect the normal functions of the individual. He was asked to stay away from alcohol for a week before the procedure and post-surgery he has not consumed alcohol, since the implant was done in the last week of June. Stereotactic functional neurosurgeon D Ganesan who was part of the team that performed the implant said in the DBS procedure, small electrodes are implanted deep in that part 

of the brain that controls serotonin neurotransmitter. 

“It is a drop in serotonin levels that cause craving for alcohol. The transmitter that is backed by a pacemaker (implanted close to the chest) stimulates serotonin secretion, thereby controlling the desire to consume alcohol,” described Ganesan. The pacemaker implanted close to the chest has a battery life of five to 

seven years. 

Senior psychiatrist D. Srinivasan, who is part of the team, said that chance of a person who has stayed away from an addiction for five years to get back to it is very rare. In case of relapse, the battery could be replaced with a simple procedure. But the procedure is expensive as it costs Rs. 12 lakh per person. “The battery is priced at Rs. 7.5 lakh and is imported from the United States,” said Dr Ganesan.