New chair of the Psychiatric Surgery Task Force – WSSFN – World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

Dear Friends,

In 2011, the question of the future of Neurosurgery for Psychiatric Disorders was raised by the WSSFN. A task force was created as a platform for key individuals in Psychiatric Surgery from different continents worldwide, with the aim of exchanging ideas and initiating actions.

Bart Nuttin was selected to lead this task force, and he ensured that the correct direction for Neurosurgery in psychiatric disorders was maintained, always keeping the interests of the patient and society in mind.

Over the past 14 years, he and the group have achieved a colossal amount of high-quality work, overcoming the numerous obstacles associated with this very special field of Functional Neurosurgery. We are all deeply grateful to Bart for this remarkable accomplishment.

It is now time for Bart to hand over the leadership to a new team.

After democratic discussions, the WSSFN board has elected Volker Coenen and Matilda Naesström as the new chairs of the Psychiatric Neurosurgery Task Force.

Both have been deeply involved in the work of the task force and are recognized worldwide as experts in this domain.

One of our major challenges is to increase the global interest of the psychiatric community in surgery, and we love the idea of having a psychiatrist as co-chair alongside Volker.

I am confident that they are the right people at the right time.

Congratulations to both of you! There is still much work to be done!

Jean Regis
WSSFN President

On 10 February 2025, the Board of Officers of the WSSFN appointed a new chair for the Psychiatric Surgery Task Force of the WSSFN. Volker Coenen from Freiburg (Germany) was chosen to succeed Bart Nuttin from Leuven (Belgium) in this position. After concluding his professional career, Dr. Nuttin had requested to step down from his role as chair.

As a new development, a psychiatric co-chair has been appointed to foster closer collaboration between specialties and to promote the acceptance of neurosurgical treatment options within the psychiatric community. This newly created co-chair position was unanimously assigned to Matilda Naesström, a psychiatrist from Umeå (Sweden).

The task force was originally founded under the name WSSFN Committee for Neurosurgery for Psychiatric Disorders following the WSSFN Shanghai Interim Meeting in 2011 and was officially announced during the Lisbon Meeting in 2012 under the leadership of Dr. Nuttin. The group had previously convened under Osvaldo Vilela Filho (Goiás, Brazil) since 2009. It was later renamed the Task Force for Neurosurgery for Psychiatric Disorders (now more succinctly referred to as the Psychiatric Surgery Task Force). Dr. Nuttin was appointed as its first chair, and from the outset, consistent psychiatric input has been a key feature.

The task force has been actively engaged in advancing neurosurgical treatments for psychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), major depression, and others. Under Dr. Nuttin’s leadership, the task force has played a crucial role in the publication of influential guidelines and scientific papers ^2-4.

The Psychiatric Surgery Task Force is committed to the development of neurosurgical techniques—including Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and lesion-based methods such as Focused Ultrasound and stereotactic radiosurgery—for psychiatric disorders that are resistant to conservative and best-practice medical treatments. Operating within a rigorous scientific and ethical framework, the task force meets quarterly (via web meetings or in person during ESSFN and WSSFN events). All WSSFN members interested in contributing to the development of neurosurgical approaches for psychiatric indications are encouraged to join.

Dr. Nuttin’s landmark paper ¹ on DBS of the anterior limb of the internal capsule for the treatment of OCD marked the beginning of the modern era of psychiatric surgery. His clinical focus has consistently remained on the advancement of Deep Brain Stimulation for OCD. The WSSFN extends its sincere gratitude to Dr. Nuttin for his long-standing, thoughtful, and dedicated service as chair of the task force.

References

Nuttin, B., Cosyns, P., Demeulemeester, H., Gybels, J. & Meyerson, B. Electrical stimulation in anterior limbs of internal capsules in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Lancet 354, 1526–1 (1999).
Nuttin, B. et al. Consensus on guidelines for stereotactic neurosurgery for psychiatric disorders. J. Neurol., Neurosurg. Psychiatry 85, 1003 (2014).
Wu, H. et al. Deep brain stimulation for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): emerging or established therapy? Mol Psychiatr 26, 60–65 (2021).
Visser-Vandewalle, V. et al. Deep brain stimulation for obsessive–compulsive disorder: a crisis of access. Nat Med 28, 1529–1532 (2022).