Background Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective acute treatment for severe depression, but there are concerns about its adverse cognitive effects. ECT may impair cognition through stimulation of glutamate receptors, and preliminary evidence has suggested that ketamine, a glutamate antagonist, may alleviate these effects. Ketamine has been shown to have a rapid, but temporary,...
Animal studies suggest that neural plasticity may play a role in the antidepressant effects of a single ketamine dose. However, the potential effects of repeated ketamine treatments on human neuroplasticity are unknown. This pilot RCT study measured plasticity-induced changes before and after a ketamine course, in three treatment-resistant depressed subjects, who were randomized to receive 8...
Abstract Ketamine has rapid-onset antidepressant activity in patients with treatment-resistant major depression (TRD). The safety and tolerability of racemic ketamine may be improved if given orally, as an extended release tablet (R-107), compared with other routes of administration. In this phase 2 multicentre clinical trial, adult patients with TRD and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating...