Effectiveness of NeuroStar Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder with Postpartum Onset

This poster was presented at the 29th Annual U.S. Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress, held October 21-24, 2016, in San Antonio, Texas. ​

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs in 10-15% of post-partum women. Although pharmacotherapy is a frequently recommended treatment option, patient acceptance is often limited by maternal concerns. Preliminary evidence has shown promise for the use of TMS in patients with PPD.

Methods: Medication-free outpatients with unipolar non-psychotic MDD with postpartum onset, with at least moderate symptom severity were enrolled (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)>9).  Onset of current illness began during the third trimester through 6 months following live childbirth, and patients were enrolled within 9 months post childbirth. Treatment ranged from 4 weeks to 8 weeks of daily left prefrontal NeuroStar TMS. The primary outcome was the change in depressive symptomatology assessed using the EPDS total scores with remission as a major secondary outcome measure.

Results: Nineteen patients were included in the final analysis.  The EPDS mean baseline score was 20.6 (SD-4.15) with the mean End of Acute score 8.2 (SD-6.50). Fourteen patients achieved remission of symptoms (EPDS<10) by the end of 8 weeks of TMS therapy. There were no serious adverse events.

Conclusions: NeuroStar TMS is effective as a monotherapy option for the treatment of women with MDD with post-partum onset. A total of 73.7% (14/19) of patients achieved remission of their depressive symptoms with acute treatment.  These data suggest that NeuroStar TMS Therapy is a promising non-pharmacologic treatment alternative for this patient population.

This study was funded by Neuronetics, Inc. www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT01842542.