Houston man becomes first in Texas to receive innovative treatment-resistant depression therapy at UTHealth Houston

Bill Henderson, 75, smiled as he received magnetic pulses to his prefrontal cortex at the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center at UTHealth Houston. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)

UTHealth Houston has become the first health center in Texas to offer Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy, or SAINT, an FDA-approved form of transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression. 

Bill Henderson, 75, who made history last week as the first patient to undergo the innovative treatment in the Lone Star State, smiled as he received magnetic pulses to his prefrontal cortex at the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center at UTHealth Houston. 

“This is cool. I’m very hopeful,” Bill said. “I’m excited that this is going to work.”

While traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation therapies are typically administered through daily sessions over the course of six weeks, SAINT is designed to deliver highly accelerated treatment through bursts of 50 ten-minute sessions administered over five days. 

A team led by Joao L. de Quevedo, MD, PhD, director of the Treatment-Resistant Depression Program at the Center for Interventional Psychiatry at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, first analyzes an MRI of the patient’s brain. Then, they place a magnetic coil on the patient’s scalp, which stimulates specific brain regions associated with mood regulation. 

The MRI helps de Quevedo determine where the magnetic pulses will be sent, as well as how strong they should be. 

“Number one, this is target-oriented,” said de Quevedo, who is the executive director of the Center for Interventional Psychiatry and the John S. Dunn Distinguished Professor at McGovern Medical School. “Number two, instead of coming here five days a week for six weeks, we do the whole treatment in five days. It’s targeted and faster.”

Patients remain awake and alert as their brain is stimulated. They can resume normal activities immediately after receiving treatment. SAINT is currently approved for adults 18 and older who have not found success with at least two other treatment methods. 

UTHealth Houston has become the first health center in Texas to offer Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy, or SAINT. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)

Bill, a Houston native, was referred to de Quevedo in early 2026, after 25 years on antidepressants. He underwent traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation more than a decade ago, which gave him some relief. 

But three years after his retirement, when he felt his depression begin to worsen, Bill knew he needed to try something new. 

“When I first retired, I read, I exercised, I loved doing jigsaw puzzles,” Bill said. “Then all of the sudden, I didn’t feel like doing anything. I got irritable. I had a lack of energy or desire to do anything. Even watching TV wasn’t enjoyable.” 

Looking back, Bill said he now knows that he has had depression since he was a young adult. 

Despite being popular and involved at his high school, he remembers wondering, “Is this all there is?” During undergrad at Johns Hopkins University and later his law program at The University of Texas at Austin, he can recall times that he would skip class and play solitaire alone in his room, despite enjoying school and being eager to learn. 

“When you have a hard time doing things you enjoy doing, it bothers you,” he said. 

Bill said he is sharing his story to encourage people to look after their mental health and get help if they need it. 

“There is a stigma attached to it, and it’s difficult for people,” he said. “People think that if you have things to be grateful for, you can’t be depressed. That’s just not true. Don’t be reluctant to try to get help.” 

Patients interested in SAINT can contact the UTHealth Houston Center for Interventional Psychiatry.