LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — People suffering from depression often spend months, even years, seeking a treatment that works for them. Modern medicine has a variety of pharmaceutical options available, along with other, newer therapies.
Now, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has become the first medical facility in the United States to provide a cutting-edge remedy for major depressive disorder, or MDD.
It’s called the “SAINT Neuromodulation System”, developed by Magnus Medical, Inc. It’s approved by the FDA for adults who’ve tried antidepressant medications without success.
The treatment is done on an accelerated, five-day timeline, reducing a patient’s treatment time from weeks to days.
“We are still very early on. We learned that we were definitely going to move forward with this program in March," said Dr. Amy Grooms, a psychiatrist at UAMS.
The SAINT system is offered in by the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute. Dr. Grooms explained that it works by stimulating areas of the brain that may need attention.
“What we have found with depression and looking at neuroscience research is that you have neurocircuits that become underactive or overactive," she described. "And the idea with neuromodulation therapies is to restore balance to those neurocircuitry."
The SAINT system implements transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, to restore that balance in the brain. TMS therapy is not new, but it typically takes a series of sessions over the course of six weeks.
"What SAINT does is, it scrunches it all together. So, it's just five days”, said Dr. Grooms.
Treatment with SAINT begins with an MRI brain scan for each patient. The images created by the scan act as a map, so technicians can precisely target the stimulation where it’s needed.
Patients sit in a chair, with attachments placed on their heads. The stimulation sessions last just under 10 minutes followed by a 50-minute break.
Each day for five days, patients undergo 10 sessions. Since traditional medications can take up to six weeks or more for the effects to be fully achieved, five days is considered remarkable, and Dr. Grooms said she enjoys seeing the quick progress.
“One of the things that I’ve come to appreciate in my job is that everyone's depression, everyone's experience, is different," she said. "But what patients have told me when they start feeling better, you know, it's just this 'lighting'. In so many words, feeling back to themselves."
To qualify for the SAINT system, a clinic or institution must have a magnet powerful enough to handle the circuitry load.
In 2021, the UAMS Brain Imaging Research Center replaced its older MRI scanner with a newer model, weighing 13 tons. It took an entire construction crew to install the magnet using a crane. But since UAMS has that magnet, they were approved when they reached out to Magnus Medical.
UAMS is currently the only location in the nation to offer this therapy. Dr. Grooms said they’re receiving calls from out of state, even out of the country, from people eager for a chance to receive this game-changing depression relief.
As for results, the research has shown a promising response rate, giving hope to patients who may believe they will never feel better.
“Looking at the studies that have been done that supported the FDA approval for this treatment, you're looking at 80 to 90% of people achieving remission. Not just response, but remission where your symptoms are resolved," said Dr. Grooms.
Right now, Medicare is the only insurance that covers the cost of the SAINT treatment, but Dr. Grooms explained that when a major insurer like Medicare is on board, others often follow.
Anyone can call the Psychiatric Research Institute for more information, or to see if they may be a candidate for the SAINT treatment.