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Effect of ketamine intervention on hemodynamic responses in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Guan-Jie She, Wei-Chi Li, Chun-Hsiang Chou, Li-Kai Cheng, Tung-Ping Su, Cheng-Ta Li, Wei-Chen Lin, Pei-Chi Tu, Shih-Jen Tsai, Ya-Mei Bai, Mu-Hong Chen, Li-Fen Chen

Scientific Reports May 20, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-51314-3 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Sample size 45
Population Patients with treatment-resistant depression
Interventions Ketamine Midazolam
Topics Depression Esketamine Ketamine
Key findings Ketamine induced region-specific changes in hemodynamic response function parameters in brain regions linked to sensory-cognitive integration, mood regulation, and cognitive control, with changes in the thalamus and superior frontal gyrus associated with improvements in suicidal ideation.

Abstract

Emerging evidence shows that ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, can produce rapid anti-suicidal effects in treatment-resistant depression, yet its underlying neuropharmacological mechanisms remain elusive. The present study aimed at investigating the therapeutic effect of ketamine infusion on suicidal ideation by examining hemodynamic response changes in resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) data. We analyzed data from clinical trials involving 45 patients with treatment-resistant depression, including either ketamine (N = 21) or midazolam (N = 24). T1-weighted images and rsfMRI data were collected before and three days after treatment. Three parameters, including response height (RH), time-to-peak (TTP), and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), were extracted. Results showed that ketamine significantly altered TTP and FWHM in the bilateral olfactory cortex and right inferior parietal gyrus. Changes in TTP and FWHM within the thalamus and superior frontal gyrus were associated with improvements in suicidal ideation. Additionally, ketamine responders exhibited reduced TTP in the left precuneus. These findings suggest that ketamine induces region-specific HRF modulations in brain regions implicated in sensory-cognitive integration, mood regulation, and cognitive control. This supports a broader model in which ketamine's neuropharmacological effects may be understood through the lens of neurovascular coupling dynamics.

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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