Structural connectivity and response to ketamine therapy in major depression: A preliminary study.
Journal of Affective Disorders January 15, 2016 Megha M Vasavada, Amber M Leaver, Randall Espinoza et al. 58 citations
In patients with major depressive disorder, differences in brain white matter structure before ketamine treatment may predict who will respond to the drug 24 hours later. Using diffusion imaging in 10 patients, those who showed more than 50% symptom improvement had greater fractional anisotropy in the cingulum and forceps minor pathways compared to non-responders. Non-responders also had lower fractional anisotropy and higher radial and mean diffusivity in these pathways compared to healthy controls, and they had an earlier age of depression onset and longer current episode. These preliminary findings suggest that the structural integrity of emotion-related brain networks may influence ketamine's antidepressant effect.