Translational Psychiatry
October 6, 2026
Nadia S. Hejazi, Mina Kheirkhah, Robin Chholak et al.
Insomnia and anxiety frequently co-occur with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This study examined short-term changes in depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms post-ketamine in TRD and their inter-relationships. Seventy-one patients with TRD were assessed at baseline and 24 h after intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were measured using the...
Neuropsychopharmacology
June 16, 2026
Nadia S. Hejazi, Mina Kheirkhah, Brady A. Riedner et al.
Slow-wave activity (SWA), a key indicator of sleep homeostasis, is often diminished in individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine, a rapid-acting antidepressant, increases SWA during the first period of non-rapid eye movement (NREM1) sleep. However, research into how ketamine affects sleep and its connection to treatment outcomes in TRD has been limited by small sample...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
September 2, 2025
Mina Kheirkhah, Nastasia McDonald, Julia Aepfelbacher et al.
1 citation
Introduction: This is the first randomized controlled trial to use both qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the effects of a combined sensory intervention that included mindfulness, music, and a light-occluding eye mask during antidepressant-dose ketamine treatment for depression. Methods: Forty-three participants with unipolar depressive disorder enrolled in the study; 22...
Neuropsychopharmacology
May 1, 2025
Mina Kheirkhah, Wallace C. Duncan, Qiaoping Yuan et al.
6 citations
Abnormalities during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep contribute to the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), but few studies have explored the relationship between REM sleep and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In MDD, REM sleep abnormalities often manifest as alterations in total night REM Density (RD), RD in the first REM period (RD1), and REM Latency (RL). Among these, RD1...
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
July 1, 2024
Mina Kheirkhah, Allison C. Nugent, Alicia A Livinski et al.
13 citations
Music and ketamine are both known to affect therapeutic outcomes, but few studies have investigated their co-administration. This scoping review describes the existing literature on the joint use of music and ketamine-or esketamine (the S(+) enantiomer of ketamine)-in humans. The review considers that extant studies have explored the intersection of ketamine/esketamine and music in healthy...