Project Summary

D. Jeffrey Newport, M.D., M.Div. (Young Investigator 2003) of Emory University, will study Postpartum Depression (PPD), which is a disorder that impairs mother-infant interaction, leaving the children of depressed mothers vulnerable to a variety of emotional and intellectual difficulties.  Current treatment options for PPD such as antidepressant medication or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) present significant risks for new mothers including medication exposure for breast-fed babies and hospitalization and memory loss in the mother following ECT.  Dr. Newport plans to conduct trials of transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a technique which painlessly stimulates a localized area of the brain with a magnetic pulse and appears to be an effective treatment for depression, in women with PPD. This research will determine whether an acute trial of rTMS provides significant therapeutic benefit for women with PPD, without the risks associated with medication or ECT.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)\Postpartum Depression

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