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Acute ketamine connectivity changes in patients with major depression

Jen Evans, Carlos A. Zarate

Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition September 16, 2025 DOI: 10.58530/2025/0503 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed
Intervention Ketamine
Topics Depression Esketamine Ketamine
Key findings Functional connectivity changes after acute ketamine correlate with receptor densities known to be involved with depression.

Abstract

Motivation: The exact mechanism of action of the rapid acting acting antidepressant ketamine is unknown. Goal(s): Investigation of the functional connectivity changes after acute ketamine in relation to receptor density. Approach: In a double blind placebo controlled clinical trial an infusion of ketamine or placebo was administered during resting state fMRI at 3T and functional connectivity was compared to receptor density maps. Results: The functional connectivity changes found correlate well with several receptors known to be involved with depression. Impact: This approach could be used to evaluate the effects of novel therapeutics in the brain.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on ketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Patients with treatment-resistant major depression experiencing a major depressive episode 2013 Randomized controlled trial n = 73
Efficacy and Safety of Flexibly Dosed Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a Newly Initiated Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Study Adults with moderate to severe nonpsychotic depression and a history of nonresponse to... 2019 Phase 3, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter randomized controlled trial n = 227
Efficacy of Esketamine Nasal Spray Plus Oral Antidepressant Treatment for Relapse Prevention in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults with treatment-resistant depression who achieved stable remission or stable... 2019 Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized withdrawal study n = 297
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine Adjunctive to Oral Antidepressant Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults with DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of major depressive disorder and history of inadequate... 2017 Phase 2, double-blind, doubly randomized, delayed-start, placebo-controlled study n = 67
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine for the Rapid Reduction of Symptoms of Depression and Suicidality in Patients at Imminent Risk for Suicide: Results of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study Depressed patients at imminent risk for suicide 2018 Randomized controlled trial n = 68

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