Physiological and Cognitive Biomarkers for Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effects

Anxious depression is a particularly difficult-to-treat subtype of depression. Patients with anxious depression do not respond as well to currently available antidepressant medications. Nevertheless, in previous studies, low dose IV ketamine, which rapidly decreases symptoms of depression within hours in many patients with “treatment-resistant” depression, has been associated with superior efficacy in those individuals with anxious compared with non-anxious depression.

In order to understand this unique effect more fully, the current protocol is aimed at further delineating biomarkers of ketamine’s effects among individuals with treatment-resistant anxious depression compared to those with nonanxious depression.

Topic Depression
Compound Ketamine
Country United States of America
Visit trial
Status Terminated
Results Published
Start date 07 January 2016
End date 02 January 2017
Chance of happening 0%
Phase Not Applicable
Design Open
Type Interventional
Generation First
Participants 8
Sex All
Age 18- 64
Therapy No

Trial Details

Anxious depression is a particularly difficult-to-treat subtype of depression. Patients with anxious depression do not respond as well to currently available antidepressant medications. Nevertheless, in previous studies, low dose IV ketamine, which rapidly decreases symptoms of depression within hours in many patients with "treatment-resistant" depression, has been associated with superior efficacy in those individuals with anxious compared with non-anxious depression. In order to understand this unique effect more fully, the current protocol is aimed at further delineating biomarkers of ketamine's effects among individuals with treatment-resistant anxious depression compared to those with nonanxious depression.

NCT Number NCT02669043

Sponsors & Collaborators

Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusettes General Hospital has launched the MGH Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics. The announcement has now been done via YouTube, and the formal launch will be in fall 2020.

National Institute of Mental Health
This company doesn't have a full profile yet, it is linked to a clinical trial.

Measures Used

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) is a multiple item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluating recovery. The scale consists of 17 items which each item being scoring on a 3 or 5 point scale. The higher the score, the more likely a person is depressed.

Data attribution

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