AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 A large, Department of Defense-funded clinical trial is now underway to\u00a0determine\u00a0whether a fast-acting, drug-free brain stimulation therapy can safely and quickly relieve symptoms of postpartum depression during the critical weeks and months after childbirth. The University of Texas at Austin is one of four sites nationwide selected to\u00a0participate\u00a0in the $11.6 million study.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This trial is led nationally by Magnus Medical\u00a0and tests SAINT neuromodulation, a personalized brain stimulation therapy that is Food and Drug Administration-cleared for major depressive\u00a0disorder. In foundational studies of treatment-resistant depression, 79% of patients achieved remission\u00a0in\u00a0an average of just 2.6 days. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether the same approach can be safely applied to postpartum depression.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlike many depression studies, this trial does not require participants to have failed\u00a0prior\u00a0antidepressant or psychotherapy treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study is supported through the Department of Defense\u2019s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. UT Austin\u2019s Dell Medical School joins the Medical University of South Carolina, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School as one of four participating research institutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPostpartum depression is both common and profoundly disruptive, affecting not only mothers but their infants and families,\u201d said\u00a0Jeffrey Newport<\/a>, M.D., site principal investigator at UT Austin and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School. \u201cThis study is designed to test whether a noninvasive, nondrug treatment can provide meaningful relief much more quickly than current options allow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Postpartum depression affects about\u00a0500,000 women\u00a0in the United States each year, with rates increasing\u00a0substantially since\u00a02000. Existing treatments, including antidepressant medications and psychotherapy, may take weeks to show benefit and are not effective for all patients. Some medications may also be transferred during breastfeeding, leading many new mothers to delay or avoid treatment.\u00a0
\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis study gives patients in Central Texas the opportunity to take part in research that could improve how\u00a0depression is treated during a particularly vulnerable period after childbirth,\u201d Newport said.\u00a0
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