Magnet therapy brings breakthrough for depression, improves treatment effectiveness at no cognitive cost

A new method of using magnetic fields to treat severe depression has proven to be as effective as traditional electroconvulsive therapy while leading to better patient retention, according to a large clinical trial led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. cognitive ability.

The study, published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, marks a major advance in the treatment of major depression, especially for patients who do not respond to traditional treatments.

“These results confirm that MST is a safe and beneficial antidepressant neurotherapy,” said lead author Shawn McClintock, MD, professor of psychiatry and researcher at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The research team conducted a comprehensive trial in 73 patients with treatment-resistant depression, comparing magnetic epilepsy therapy (MST) with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which has been the standard treatment for severe depression for more than eighty years. method. While ECT remains effective, its use is limited because of its temporary but significant effects on memory and cognitive function that can last for months.

In this study, 38 patients received ECT and 35 patients received MST, with treatment administered three times per week until patients were in remission or stabilizing improvement. The team assessed depressive symptoms and cognitive function before treatment began and again within 72 hours of the last treatment.

Similar effect, different impact

The results of the study showed that the success rates of the two treatments were comparable, with approximately 50% of patients in each group showing significant improvement or achieving remission of depression. ECT patients typically require about seven sessions, while MST patients require about nine sessions to achieve similar results.

However, there were significant differences in cognitive outcomes between the two groups. Patients who received ECT experienced significant declines in multiple cognitive domains, including verbal fluency, executive function, and memory. In contrast, patients treated with MST maintained cognitive performance on most measures, and some even showed improvements in fine motor skills.

Although patients in both groups experienced a decrease in autobiographical memory consistency (the ability to recall personal life events), the decrease was significantly less severe in the MST group than in patients who received ECT.

technological innovation

MST represents a development in epilepsy treatment that utilizes magnetic fields rather than electrical current to induce therapeutic seizures. The treatment is performed under anesthesia and is similar to ECT, but uses technology derived from transcranial magnetic stimulation to target specific brain areas more precisely.

The researchers’ analysis showed that MST patients maintained stable performance in areas such as attention, verbal fluency, executive function, and verbal learning and memory. This preservation of cognitive function may make MST particularly valuable for patients who need to maintain the ability to work or manage daily responsibilities during treatment.

expect

The research team, which includes collaborators from Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute and Duke University School of Medicine, plans to conduct a larger clinical trial to further compare the two treatments and investigate the mechanisms behind their antidepressant effects.

“We want to do our best to minimize that because it’s one of the biggest barriers to ECT,” McClintock said. “Some people say the side effects outweigh the benefits.”

This research was supported by grants from the Stanley Medical Research Foundation, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

As research continues, MST may represent a major advance in the treatment of severe depression, providing patients and health care providers an option to combine the effectiveness of ECT with better preservation of cognitive function. The therapy is still under investigation and requires FDA approval before it can be widely used in patients.