Students and faculty explore treating antenatal depression with transcranial stimulation in new study

Fourth-year graduate-entry MD students, Eleanor Roy and Amir Arshia Emam Jomeh, alongside Georgios Mikellides, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical School, contributed to a recent publication exploring the use of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to treat depression during pregnancy.

Published in the international, peer-reviewed journal Psychiatria Danubina, the paper is the result of a collaboration between the University of Nicosia Medical School, the Medical School of the Democritus University of Thrace, the University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, and the Department of Psychology at the University of Cyprus.

The researchers analyse the case of a pregnant patient with chronic, recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), who received intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS), a form of rTMS. The study addresses an important clinical need, as many pregnant women are hesitant to use antidepressant medication because of concerns about foetal safety.

Following 30 treatment sessions, the patient showed a rapid, sustained improvement in depressive and anxiety symptoms, with no reported adverse effects.

The researchers conclude that rTMS, particularly iTBS, may represent a promising and well-tolerated non-pharmacological option for antenatal depression in selected patients. However, they emphasise that findings from this single case are preliminary and that larger controlled studies are needed to establish the treatment’s safety and effectiveness.