Israeli Scientists Use Deep-Brain Stimulation to Counter Schizophrenia in Breakthrough Study

In a breakthrough study published on Wednesday, February 19, Israeli scientists announced they have developed a novel deep-brain stimulation approach for patients with schizophrenia. The therapy could restore brain functions that control movement, learning, and decision-making in the estimated 21 million people worldwide who suffer from the severe chronic mental disorder. Dr Nir Asch, who led the peer-reviewed research at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, said the study “proposes a new therapeutic direction” for patients who do not respond sufficiently to existing treatments.

The research, which appeared in the journal Nature Communications, leveraged computational modeling, data analysis, and machine learning. It was conducted under the guidance of 2024 Israel Prize laureate Prof. Hagai Bergman, a neuroscientist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a pioneer of deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. One-third of all schizophrenia patients worldwide are considered treatment-resistant, representing an enormous medical burden.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that usually begins in a person’s early twenties and most often becomes a lifelong condition. Symptoms include hallucinations, persistent delusions, disorganized thinking, and social withdrawal. People with schizophrenia die nine years earlier than the general population on average, often due to physical illnesses such as diabetes. In Israel alone, roughly 70,000 people live with schizophrenia—about one in 143 Israelis. (TOI/VFI News)

“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord.” – Jeremiah 30:17a

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