The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
November 14, 2022
Anna Feeney, Bettina B. Hoeppner, Marlene P. Freeman et al.
9 citations
Objective: Ketamine is a novel and rapidly acting treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Benzodiazepines are commonly coprescribed with antidepressants in MDD. This study sought to examine data from a randomized clinical trial that compared a single infusion of intravenous (IV) ketamine to midazolam placebo in treatment-resistant depression (DSM-IV-TR MDD) and to assess whether the use...
Depression and Anxiety
July 22, 2021
E. Daly, Ibrahim Turkoz, Giacomo Salvadore et al.
Comorbid anxiety is generally associated with poorer response to antidepressant treatment. This post hoc analysis explored the efficacy of esketamine plus an antidepressant in patients with treatment‐resistant depression (TRD) with or without comorbid anxiety.
European Neuropsychopharmacology
June 2, 2021
A. Feeney, Rebecca S. Hock, Marlene P. Freeman et al.
33 citations
This study aimed to assess the effect of a single infusion of intravenous (IV) ketamine on suicidal ideation in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Patients with TRD were randomized in a double-blind fashion to a single infusion of IV ketamine or IV midazolam placebo. Suicidal ideation was measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) suicide item at 3, 5,...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 26, 2020
Dawn F. Ionescu, Dong-Jing Fu, Xin Qiu et al.
411 citations
BACKGROUND: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) having active suicidal ideation with intent require immediate treatment. METHODS: This double-blind study (ASPIRE II) randomized adults (aged 18-64 years) with MDD having active suicidal ideation with intent to esketamine 84 mg or placebo nasal spray twice weekly for 4 weeks, given with comprehensive standard of care (hospitalization ≥5...
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
May 11, 2020
Dong-Jing Fu, Dawn F. Ionescu, Xiang Li et al.
367 citations
OBJECTIVE: To compare esketamine to placebo, each in addition to standard-of-care treatment, for rapidly reducing major depressive disorder symptoms, including suicidal ideation. METHODS: This phase 3, double-blind, multicenter study (ASPIRE I), conducted between June 2017 and December 2018, enrolled 226 adults having major depressive disorder based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of...
Journal of Affective Disorders
2019
Dawn F. Ionescu, Kate H Bentley, M. Eikermann et al.
179 citations
BACKGROUND Several studies indicate that ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The extent to which repeated doses of ketamine (versus placebo) reduce depression in the short and long term among outpatients with TRD and chronic, current suicidal ideation remains unknown. METHODS Twenty-six medicated outpatients with severe major...
Depression and Anxiety
December 30, 2018
Naji C. Salloum, Maurizio Fava, Marlene P. Freeman et al.
49 citations
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of high baseline anxiety on response to ketamine versus midazolam (active placebo) in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). METHODS: In a multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 99 subjects with TRD were randomized to one of five arms: a single dose of intravenous ketamine 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg, or midazolam 0.045 mg/kg. The primary outcome measure...
Molecular Psychiatry
October 3, 2018
Maurizio Fava, M. Freeman, M. Flynn et al.
438 citations
Numerous placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated the ability of ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, to induce rapid (within hours), transient antidepressant effects when administered intravenously (IV) at subanesthetic doses (0.5 mg/kg over 40 min). However, the optimal antidepressant dose remains unknown. We aimed to compare to active placebo the rapid acting antidepressant properties...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 17, 2017
Mark J. Niciu, Nicolas D. Iadarola, Dipavo Banerjee et al.
23 citations
BACKGROUND: This study sought to reproduce, in a larger sample, previous findings of a correlation between smaller raw 3-Tesla (3T) hippocampal volumes and improved antidepressant efficacy of ketamine in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). A secondary analysis stratified subjects according to functional BDNF rs6265 (val66met) genotype. METHODS: Unmedicated subjects with...
Current behavioral neuroscience reports
June 1, 2016
Dawn F. Ionescu, George I. Papakostas
Traditional antidepressant medications generally take weeks-to-months to achieve effect. However, the breakthrough finding of ketamine's rapidly acting antidepressant properties has inspired a decade-and-a-half of progress towards the identification of treatments that work quickly-within hours-to-days. This paradigm-shift in the discovery of antidepressant therapies has significantly changed...
Neural Plasticity
2015
Annie J. Xu, Mark J. Niciu, Nancy B. Lundin et al.
27 citations
Ketamine and lithium both inhibit glycogen synthase kinase 3. In addition, lithium and ketamine have synergistic antidepressant-like effects at individually subeffective doses in rodents. We hypothesized that ketamine's antidepressant effects would be improved by therapeutic doses of lithium versus valproate and that serum lithium levels would positively correlate with ketamine's antidepressant...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
December 19, 2014
Mark J. Niciu, David A. Luckenbaugh, Dawn F. Ionescu et al.
55 citations
BACKGROUND: A single subanesthetic infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid and potent antidepressant properties in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TRD). As a family history of an alcohol use disorder is a positive predictor of ketamine's antidepressant response and the strength of the association increases over time, we hypothesized that...
Bipolar Disorders
November 14, 2014
Dawn F. Ionescu, David A. Luckenbaugh, Mark J. Niciu et al.
109 citations
OBJECTIVE: Patents with anxious bipolar disorder have worse clinical outcomes and are harder to treat with traditional medication regimens compared to those with non-anxious bipolar disorder. Ketamine has been shown to rapidly and robustly decrease symptoms of depression in depressed patients with bipolar disorder. We sought to determine whether baseline anxiety status reduced ketamine's...
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
September 25, 2014
Dawn F. Ionescu, David A. Luckenbaugh, Mark J. Niciu et al.
111 citations
OBJECTIVE: Patients with anxious depression are typically more difficult to treat with monoaminergic antidepressants compared to those with nonanxious depression. Although novel research has shown that the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has rapidly acting, relatively sustained effects in treating depression, we predicted that, consistent with the existent literature on...
Pharmacopsychiatry
June 23, 2014
Nancy B. Lundin, Mark J. Niciu, David A. Luckenbaugh et al.
17 citations
INTRODUCTION: Deficiencies in both vitamin B12 and folate have been associated with depression. Recently, higher baseline vitamin B12 levels were observed in individuals with bipolar depression who responded to the antidepressant ketamine at 7 days post-infusion. This study sought to -replicate this result by correlating peripheral vitamin levels with ketamine's antidepressant efficacy in...
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
May 15, 2014
Mark J. Niciu, David A. Luckenbaugh, Dawn F. Ionescu et al.
167 citations
OBJECTIVE: The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression. Clinical predictors may identify those more likely to benefit from ketamine within clinically heterogeneous populations. METHOD: Data were analyzed from 4 studies of treatment-resistant inpatients with...
Journal of Affective Disorders
February 18, 2014
D. Luckenbaugh, Mark J. Niciu, Dawn F. Ionescu et al.
282 citations
Background The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects in major depression. Psychotomimetic symptoms, dissociation and hemodynamic changes are known side effects of ketamine, but it is unclear if these side effects relate to its antidepressant efficacy. Methods Data from 108 treatment-resistant inpatients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder...