The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry
September 6, 2026
Balwinder Singh, Siamak MahmoudianDehkordi, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
OBJECTIVE: Ketamine is a rapid-acting antidepressant with an incompletely understood mechanism of action. Pharmacometabolomics can identify pathways underlying its effects and response variability. Using data from the Bio-K trial (NCT03156504), a multisite open-label study, we characterised metabolomic signatures of intravenous (IV) racemic ketamine in adults with treatment-resistant depression...
Ther Adv Psychopharmacol
May 22, 2026
Liliana Patarroyo-Rodriguez, Vanessa K. Pazdernik, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
Early suicidal ideation change and suicidality-associated emergency department utilization after ketamine or esketamine treatment in treatment-resistant depression.
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
January 21, 2026
Matheus G Marques, Aysegul Özerdem, Simon Kung et al.
1 citation
Objective: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) affects one-third of patients with major depressive disorder, leading to increased morbidity, health care costs, and suicide risk. TRD lacks a standardized definition, complicating treatment selection. Current guidelines often group treatments broadly without clear prioritization, and evidence gaps persist, particularly regarding newer...
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
September 17, 2025
Liliana Patarroyo-Rodriguez, Vanessa K. Pazdernik, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
1 citation
Conclusions: Ketamine and esketamine reduced long-term ED visits for suicidality in individuals with TRD. Further longer-term follow-up research is encouraged to ascertain if these benefits on suicidality reduction are mood state dependent or reflect an independent mechanism.
Journal of Affective Disorders
September 15, 2025
Brandan K Penaluna, Jennifer L. Vande Voort, William V Bobo et al.
4 citations
Previous work has identified four correlated factors (depression phenotypes) using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)- Sadness, Negative Thoughts, detachment/Interest and Activity (IA), and Neurovegetative. We explored treatment responses to ketamine based on these 4 phenotypes in treatment resistant depression (TRD). This is a secondary analysis of data from an open-label...
Journal of Affective Disorders
August 15, 2025
Stefanie Cavalcanti, Vanessa K Pazdernik, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
3 citations
Chronic stress is a risk factor for depression and may contribute to treatment resistance. This historical cohort study examined the association between baseline perceived stress, measured with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and response to (es) ketamine in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Adult TRD patients who received intravenous racemic ketamine or intranasal esketamine were...
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
July 30, 2025
Balwinder Singh, Vanessa K. Pazdernik, Simon Kung et al.
Objective: This study examines the durability (defined as time between treatments) of intravenous ketamine (IV-KET) and intranasal esketamine (IN-ESKET) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), in a real-world clinical setting with repeated ketamine/esketamine maintenance therapy. Methods: This was a single-center, observational study of adults with TRD who completed acute-phase treatment...
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
July 1, 2025
Stephen A Murata, Zachary B Madaj, Colt D Capan et al.
1 citation
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a challenge, but intravenous racemic ketamine offers rapid antidepressant effects. Reliable biomarkers are needed. In this study, we examined kynurenine pathway metabolites and inflammatory cytokines as predictors of ketamine response. The Bio-K study was a multicenter, open-label trial of 74 patients with TRD who received 3 ketamine infusions over...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
2025
Ahmed Elmosalamy, Idil Tarikogullari, Liliana Patarroyo-Rodriguez et al.
7 citations
Depression affects approximately 5.7% of adults worldwide, and around one-third of these individuals develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Intravenous (IV) ketamine and esketamine (administered IV or intranasally (IN)) are novel treatment options for TRD; however, only IN esketamine currently holds FDA approval. Compare the acute effectiveness of IV ketamine with esketamine (IV or IN)...
CNS Drugs
August 1, 2024
Liliana Patarroyo-Rodriguez, Stefanie Cavalcanti, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
13 citations
Anhedonia, a complex symptom rooted in deficits across reward processes, is primarily linked to depression and schizophrenia but transcends diagnostic boundaries across various mental disorders. Its presence correlates with poorer clinical outcomes, including an increased risk of suicide and diminished response to treatment. The neurobiological underpinnings of anhedonia remain incompletely...
Psychopharmacology
May 14, 2024
Mazen A Atiq, Matthew R Baker, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
12 citations
Recent research with classic psychedelics suggests significant therapeutic potential, particularly for neuropsychiatric disorders. A mediating influence behind symptom resolution is thought to be the personal insight - at times, bordering on the mystical - one acquires during the acute phase of a psychedelic session. Indeed, current clinical trials have found strong correlations between the...
Psychiatry Research
May 1, 2024
Balwinder Singh, Sagar V Parikh, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
18 citations
This nonrandomized, multicenter, open-label clinical trial explored the impact of intravenous (IV) ketamine on cognitive function in adults (n = 74) with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Patients received three IV ketamine infusions during the acute phase and, if remitted, four additional infusions in the continuation phase (Mayo site). Cognitive assessments using the Repeatable Battery...
Journal of Affective Disorders
2024
Liliana Patarroyo-Rodriguez, Vanessa M. Pazdernik, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
12 citations
BACKGROUND Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in depressive episodes and are linked to higher mood severity and suicidal behaviors. Slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM sleep are compromised in depression. Current evidence suggests that rapid antidepressant effects of intravenous (IV) ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is mediated by its effects on SWS and REM sleep....
Pharmaceuticals
August 1, 2023
Boney Joseph, Nicolas A. Nunez, Simon Kung et al.
14 citations
Intravenous (IV) ketamine and FDA-approved intranasal (IN) esketamine are increasingly used for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Preliminary studies have suggested a synergistic effect of ketamine and lamotrigine, although the data are inconclusive. Herein, we report the response to serial ketamine/esketamine treatment among patients with TRD with or without lamotrigine therapy. In this...
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
February 1, 2023
Balwinder Singh, Simon Kung, Vanessa K. Pazdernik et al.
64 citations
Objective: Ketamine has been redeveloped as a rapid-acting antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). There is a paucity of literature comparing subanesthetic intravenous (IV) ketamine and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved intranasal (IN) esketamine for TRD in real-world clinical settings. We compared the efficacy and time to achieve remission/response with repeated...
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
December 6, 2016
Jennifer L. Vande Voort, Elizabeth D. Ballard, David A. Luckenbaugh et al.
67 citations
OBJECTIVE: Insomnia and disrupted sleep are associated with increased risk of suicide. The N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist ketamine has been associated with reduced suicidal thoughts, but the mechanism of action is unknown. This study sought to evaluate differences in nocturnal wakefulness in depressed individuals who did and did not have an antisuicidal response to ketamine. METHODS:...
Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease
April 13, 2015
Nicolas D. Iadarola, Mark J. Niciu, Erica M. Richards et al.
202 citations
Current pharmacotherapies for major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BDep) have a distinct lag of onset that can generate great distress and impairment in patients. Furthermore, as demonstrated by several real-world effectiveness trials, their efficacy is limited. All approved antidepressant medications for MDD primarily act through monoaminergic mechanisms, agonists or...
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...
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...