A new emerging treatment, known as “deep brain stimulation,” may provide some much-needed relief for those living with treatment-resistant OCD. This therapy delivers jolts of electricity to the brain in the hopes of fading those persistent, nagging thoughts into a distant memory.

Just as our fingerprints, with their unique patterns of loops, whorls, and arches, have long been the hallmark of individual identity, it turns out we have a similar unique signature in our brains. This concept, known as brain fingerprinting or functional connectomes, aims to broaden our understanding of how each person’s neural architecture relates to various aspects of their lives, including pain perception and mental health.