Moving the brain: Neuroimaging motivational changes of deep brain stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical technique that involves the implantation of electrodes in the brain. DBS enables electrical modulation of abnormal brain activity for treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Mrs. D. has been suffering from OCD for more than 20 years, which caused her to compulsively clean every detail of her house and have obsessive thoughts about dirt and contamination. DBS helped her to overcome all of her obsessions and compulsions but also helped her stop smoking and overeating. How is DBS capable of changing these different disorders in one single patient? This thesis will answer this intriguing question by studying brain networks related to reward and motivation in OCD patients, and how effective DBS influences these networks.