Katy Stimpson,1 TJ Ford,1 Adi Maron-Katz,1 Michael Feyder,1 Danielle D DeSouza,2 David M Carreon,2 Eleanor J Cole,2 Nolan R Williams,3 Brandon S Bentzley1
1 Magnus Medical Inc., Burlingame, CA
2 Acacia Clinics, CA
3 Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a chronic neuropsychiatric condition, often requiring timely intervention to maintain a state of wellness. SAINT is a 5-day rapid-acting transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol that utilizes fMRI-guided targeting. SAINT has shown 79-90% remission rates for TRD in randomized controlled and open-label trials, respectively. This study evaluated the feasibility of pairing SAINT with proactive, individualized maintenance—termed personalized continuation therapy (PCT)—to sustain neurocircuit-driven remission.
Adults with TRD achieving remission to an initial course of SAINT were remotely monitored for 12 months using bio- and psychometric indices sensitive to early signs of relapse. Participants showing symptom worsening received personalized SAINT treatment courses (1–5 days) to maintain remission. Depression severity was assessed biweekly with the MADRS.
Twenty-one participants completed the 12-month follow-up. The mean MADRS score across all time points was 8.0, significantly lower than the baseline mean of 29.5.
PCT with SAINT is a preliminarily feasible method for producing enduring remission from depressive symptoms in patients with TRD through proactive, circuit-targeted neuromodulation. Larger, controlled trials are warranted.
