A pilot trial tested the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial comparing intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg), midazolam (0.03 mg/kg), and saline in adolescents hospitalized for suicidal ideation in the emergency department. Of 21 eligible patients, 15 (71%) agreed to participate. Key barriers to enrollment were limited ED resources and lack of a consenting parent. Retention at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days ranged from 93% to 73%. No serious adverse events occurred. Suicidal ideation scores 90 minutes after infusion were lower in the ketamine and midazolam groups than in the saline group, but the sample was too small for definitive conclusions. The trial design appeared feasible and safe.
A new variant of the Turing Test is proposed that relies on the emotional content of human cognition and its link with memory enhancement, a feature argued to be inaccessible to machines even in principle. EEG signals were recorded from 39 subjects who underwent a test where they recognized images previously associated with an emotional reaction more easily than those without such an association, a statistically significant difference. The authors suggest this distinction, rooted in human qualia, could make human and machine responses distinguishable regardless of advances in artificial intelligence.