Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression

Background: Depression, the leading cause of disability worldwide, is a chronic disease characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. Acute treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy, ketamine, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation are often effective at initiating remission, but relap...

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Main Authors: Andrew D. Geoly, Katy H. Stimpson, Flint M. Espil, Brandon S. Bentzley, Nolan R. Williams
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Brain Stimulation
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1935861X25000877
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author Andrew D. Geoly
Katy H. Stimpson
Flint M. Espil
Brandon S. Bentzley
Nolan R. Williams
author_facet Andrew D. Geoly
Katy H. Stimpson
Flint M. Espil
Brandon S. Bentzley
Nolan R. Williams
author_sort Andrew D. Geoly
collection DOAJ
description Background: Depression, the leading cause of disability worldwide, is a chronic disease characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. Acute treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy, ketamine, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation are often effective at initiating remission, but relapse to a major depressive episode is common without ongoing interventions. Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) produces high rates of remission after five days of acute treatment; however, the duration of this remission following a single course of SNT in people suffering from treatment-resistant depression is unknown, which poses a significant limit on clinical decision-making. Methods: Forty-six participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), received five days of SNT. Functional connectivity derived from resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) was used to individually target the region of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex most functionally anticorrelated with the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. The 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-6) was collected fortnightly for up to 24 weeks. Relapse was defined as two consecutive HDRS-6 scores of 5 or above. Results: Seventy percent (32 of 46) of participants entered remission the week following treatment. After 12 weeks of treatment, 15 of 46 (33 %) participants remained in remission. Of the participants who entered remission, 15 of 32 (47 %) remained in remission. Conclusions: At 12 weeks, a subset of participants remained in remission, suggesting that the durability of SNT warrants further study. Comparisons with conventional rTMS should be interpreted cautiously given differences in study design, populations, and outcome measures.
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spelling doaj-art-596b268b6ddf46c8adaacc204be6d5092025-08-20T02:33:20ZengElsevierBrain Stimulation1935-861X2025-05-0118387588110.1016/j.brs.2025.04.006Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depressionAndrew D. Geoly0Katy H. Stimpson1Flint M. Espil2Brandon S. Bentzley3Nolan R. Williams4Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USADepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USADepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USADepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USACorresponding author. 401 Quarry Road, Room 2360, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USABackground: Depression, the leading cause of disability worldwide, is a chronic disease characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. Acute treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy, ketamine, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation are often effective at initiating remission, but relapse to a major depressive episode is common without ongoing interventions. Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) produces high rates of remission after five days of acute treatment; however, the duration of this remission following a single course of SNT in people suffering from treatment-resistant depression is unknown, which poses a significant limit on clinical decision-making. Methods: Forty-six participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), received five days of SNT. Functional connectivity derived from resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) was used to individually target the region of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex most functionally anticorrelated with the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. The 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-6) was collected fortnightly for up to 24 weeks. Relapse was defined as two consecutive HDRS-6 scores of 5 or above. Results: Seventy percent (32 of 46) of participants entered remission the week following treatment. After 12 weeks of treatment, 15 of 46 (33 %) participants remained in remission. Of the participants who entered remission, 15 of 32 (47 %) remained in remission. Conclusions: At 12 weeks, a subset of participants remained in remission, suggesting that the durability of SNT warrants further study. Comparisons with conventional rTMS should be interpreted cautiously given differences in study design, populations, and outcome measures.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1935861X25000877
spellingShingle Andrew D. Geoly
Katy H. Stimpson
Flint M. Espil
Brandon S. Bentzley
Nolan R. Williams
Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression
Brain Stimulation
title Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression
title_full Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression
title_fullStr Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression
title_full_unstemmed Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression
title_short Durability of clinical benefit with Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) in treatment-resistant depression
title_sort durability of clinical benefit with stanford neuromodulation therapy snt in treatment resistant depression
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1935861X25000877
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