From the [Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/deep-brain-stimulation/about/pac-20384562)
> Deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves implanting electrodes within areas of the brain. The electrodes produce electrical impulses that affect brain activity to treat certain medical conditions. The electrical impulses also can affect cells and chemicals within the brain that cause medical conditions.
> The amount of stimulation in deep brain stimulation is controlled by a pacemaker-like device placed under the skin in the upper chest. A wire that travels under the skin connects this device to the electrodes in the brain.
The common mechanism is to disrupt feedback loops in the brain. This started with work on Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s, where the device detects a feedback oscillation (like when the microphone gets too close to the speaker) and then emits a tiny shock to reset the oscillation.
OCD and other psychiatric conditions might not use the same principle, but likely something similar. These conditions are very hard to treat in the long run and it takes a huge amount of experimental data to get FDA approval for this sort of thing.
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