A new brain treatment for depression is showing positive results
CNN • • health
Key Points:
- Valerie Zeko, suffering from treatment-resistant depression for 28 years, found significant relief after participating in a clinical trial for SAINT, a novel five-day brain stimulation therapy at Stanford University.
- SAINT (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy) uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate the prefrontal cortex, showing a 50% remission rate in a recent randomized controlled trial, outperforming placebo and traditional treatments.
- The therapy is FDA-cleared, noninvasive, and faster than conventional transcranial magnetic stimulation, but its availability is limited to select clinics and insurance coverage remains a significant barrier.
- EEG studies during the trial revealed that SAINT reduces overactivity in beta brain waves linked to depression, potentially allowing for more
