Case Report: Successful management of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures with intranasal esketamine.
Muneeb Hashmi, Padmasini Mugunthan, Priyal Jain, Tharun Nimmakayala, Sarah Alnaher
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1527166 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Patient with treatment-resistant depression and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures |
| Intervention | Esketamine |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Esketamine PTSD Ketamine |
| Keywords | Functional seizures Neuropsychiatric disorders Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures Psychotrauma Treatment-resistant depression trd Refractory depression Pnes Pseudoseizures |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Esketamine administration effectively resolved both treatment-resistant depression and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in a single patient. |
Abstract
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), or functional seizures (FS), are episodes that resemble epileptic seizures but may be psychological in origin. Unlike epileptic seizures, which are linked to abnormal electrical activity in the brain, functional seizures may be associated with psychological and/or physical distress, and do not show the same electrical patterns on an electroencephalogram (EEG). Esketamine, a derivative of the anesthetic ketamine, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) with suicidal thoughts or actions. This report discusses a patient with TRD and PNES, where the administration of esketamine effectively resolved both conditions. It explores the potential therapeutic effects of esketamine on PNES, in addition to its antidepressant properties.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on esketamine, most cited first.