Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome
Translational Psychiatry March 21, 2017 Drew D. Kiraly, Sarah R. Horn, Nicholas T. van Dam et al. 182 citations
Patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) show elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 compared to healthy controls, supporting the immune hypothesis of depression. Analysis of 41 cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in blood samples from 26 healthy controls and 33 unmedicated TRD patients revealed a unique pattern of increased inflammatory mediators, chemokines, and colony-stimulating factors. Following a single intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg), several cytokines showed transient changes, but none correlated with treatment response. Low pretreatment levels of fibroblast growth factor 2 were associated with ketamine treatment response, suggesting novel treatment targets for TRD patients with dysregulated immune functioning.