UMass Chan launches new non-invasive postpartum depression therapy
A major milestone for maternal care, Massachusetts-based UMass Chan Medical School is one of four national sites testing a new, noninvasive therapy for treatment-resistant postpartum depression. The study is funded by the Department of Defense.
The therapy, called SAINT neuromodulation, was developed by Magnus Medical and has FDA clearance for major depressive disorder. In a previous controlled study, nearly 80% of participants with major depression experienced rapid remission.
According to Dr Kimberly A. Yonkers, Katz Family Chair in Psychiatry and Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UMass Chan, the study results are promising for women with severe depression and could offer relief to postpartum patients who have not found an effective treatment.
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Postpartum depression affects roughly one in eight women in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with symptoms appearing during pregnancy or in the months after childbirth. Dr Yonkers noted that current treatments, including antidepressants and therapy, can take weeks to work and may present challenges for women who are breastfeeding.
She also explained that postpartum depression can be devastating and emphasized that a treatment providing relief in days rather than weeks could be life-changing for families.
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SAINT therapy uses brain imaging to target mood-related areas with focused neurostimulation. Participants receive an MRI to identify the specific brain regions for individualized treatment, followed by magnetic pulses delivered in 10-minute sessions, 10 times a day, over five days at an outpatient clinic. Many patients respond within a week, and ongoing treatments can continue alongside SAINT as long as they remain consistent.
The multisite trial aims to enroll up to 192 women, ages 18 to 45, diagnosed with a major depressive episode with peripartum onset—the technical term for postpartum depression. UMass Chan plans to enroll 85 participants.
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