Plasma leptin levels are lower in females, but not males, with ketamine use disorder.
Ming-Chyi Huang, Li-Jung Chiang, Wan-Hsi Chien, Tung-Hsia Liu, Chun-Hsin Chen, Yu-Li Liu
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse September 2, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2024.2394963 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 130 |
| Population | Individuals with ketamine use disorder and healthy controls |
| Duration | 2-week abstinence period |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Leptin Early abstinence Females Ketamine use disorder Sex difference Addiction biology Sex hormones Substance abuse recovery Ketamine dependence Neuroendocrinology |
| Key findings | Females with ketamine use disorder had persistently lower leptin levels and leptin/BMI ratio compared to same-sex controls across baseline and two weeks of abstinence, while males showed no initial difference but an increase after two weeks of abstinence. |
Abstract
Background: Ketamine has emerged as a prominent substance of misuse. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived polypeptide hormone, has been implicated in the development of addiction. Sex-specific changes in leptin levels have been demonstrated following acute ketamine administration; the persistence of long-term ketamine use on leptin levels is uncertain.Objectives: To assess the sex-difference of leptin levels, and their persistence, in individuals with ketamine use disorder (KUD) compared to healthy controls.Methods: Plasma leptin levels were measured in 62 healthy controls (37 males, 25 females) and 68 participants with KUD (50 males, 18 females) on the first day (baseline) and after 1 and 2 weeks of abstinence. As leptin levels are affected by body mass index (BMI), BMI-adjusted leptin (leptin/BMI ratio) was also examined. Mixed model for repeated measures was used to examine changes after ketamine abstinence.Results: Compared to same-sex controls, female, but not male, participants with KUD demonstrated lower leptin levels and leptin/BMI ratio at baseline, week 1, and week 2 (leptin levels: p = .001, 0.006 and 0.032, respectively; leptin/BMI ratio: p = .004, 0.022, and 0.09, respectively). Repeated measures showed that leptin levels and the leptin/BMI ratio increased after 2 weeks of abstinence in male participants with KUD (p = .002 and 0.011, respectively), but females did not show such an increase (p > .05).Conclusions: Sex-specific differences were observed in leptin levels and the leptin/BMI ratio in individuals with KUD compared to controls. Lower leptin levels in females with KUD persisted after 2 weeks of abstinence.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taming the Ketamine Tiger Volunteers from a prison population | 2010 | Observational study | n = 20 |
| Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin Humans | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Disruption of Frontal–Parietal Communication by Ketamine, Propofol, and Sevoflurane Surgical patients undergoing induction of anesthesia with intravenous ketamine | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Do the dissociative side effects of ketamine mediate its antidepressant effects? Treatment-resistant inpatients with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder | 2014 | Observational cohort | n = 108 |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites Nature April 24, 2016
- Ketamine: 50 Years of Modulating the Mind Frontiers in Human Neuroscience November 29, 2016
- Rapid‐acting antidepressant ketamine, its metabolites and other candidates: A historical overview and future perspective Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences June 19, 2019
- KETAMINE'S MECHANISM OF ACTION: A PATH TO RAPID‐ACTING ANTIDEPRESSANTS Depression and Anxiety April 6, 2016
- Comparison of illegal drug use pattern in Taiwan and Korea from 2006 to 2014 Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy September 23, 2016
and 4 more in the library