Family History of Alcohol Dependence and Initial Antidepressant Response to an NMDA Antagonist
Laura E. Phelps, Nancy E. Brutsché, J. Moral, D. Luckenbaugh, Husseini Manji, Carlos A. Zarate
Biological Psychiatry November 8, 2008 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.09.029 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open-label trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 26 |
| Population | Adults with DSM-IV treatment-resistant major depression |
| Intervention | Ketamine hydrochloride |
| Dose | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Measures | Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Key findings | Subjects with a family history of alcohol dependence showed significantly greater improvement in MADRS scores after ketamine infusion than those without such a history, suggesting that family history may predict a rapid antidepressant response to NMDA receptor antagonists. |
Abstract
Background: A high rate of comorbidity exists between mood disorders and alcohol dependence. Furthermore, both ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with a recently described rapid-onset antidepressant effect, and ethanol are N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists. Previous investigations of healthy individuals with a family history of alcohol-dependence have found that these individuals have an attenuated response to ketamine's perceptual disturbance and dysphoric effects similar to that found in individuals with a self-reported history of alcohol dependence. This study investigated whether a family history of alcohol dependence influences ketamine's initial antidepressant effect.
Methods: Twenty-six subjects with DSM-IV treatment-resistant major depression were given an open-label intravenous infusion of ketamine hydrochloride (0.5 mg/kg) and rated using various depression scales at baseline, 40, 80, 120, and 230 minutes post-infusion. The primary outcome measure was Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores.
Results: Subjects with a family history of alcohol dependence showed significantly greater improvement in MADRS scores compared with subjects who had no family history of alcohol dependence.
Conclusions: A family history of alcohol dependence appears to predict a rapid initial antidepressant response to an NMDA receptor antagonist.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction Psychiatrically healthy nicotine-dependent smokers | 2014 | Open-label pilot study | n = 15 |
| Psilocybin-Occasioned Mystical Experiences in the Treatment of Tobacco Addiction Smokers | 2015 | Open-label pilot study | n = 15 |
| Ketamine Psychedelic Therapy (KPT): A Review of the Results of Ten Years of Research Alcoholic patients | 1997 | Controlled clinical trial | n = 211 |
| First study of safety and tolerability of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in patients with alcohol use disorder. Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) following community alcohol detoxification | 2021 | Open-label safety and tolerability proof-of-concept study | n = 14 |
| The Psychedelic Debriefing in Alcohol Dependence Treatment: Illustrating Key Change Phenomena through Qualitative Content Analysis of Clinical Sessions Participants in a psilocybin-assisted treatment study for alcohol dependence | 2018 | Open-label pilot (proof-of-concept) study with qualitative content analysis | n = 17 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 73
- Ketamine and Ketamine Metabolite Pharmacology: Insights into Therapeutic Mechanisms Pharmacological Reviews June 26, 2018
- Ketamine and Other NMDA Antagonists: Early Clinical Trials and Possible Mechanisms in Depression American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 2015
- Rapid Resolution of Suicidal Ideation After a Single Infusion of anN-Methyl-D-Aspartate Antagonist in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry July 13, 2010
- Side-effects associated with ketamine use in depression: a systematic review. The Lancet Psychiatry 2018
- Ketamine and Rapid-Acting Antidepressants: A Window into a New Neurobiology for Mood Disorder Therapeutics Annual Review of Medicine October 23, 2014
and 68 more in the library
Cites 5
- A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2006
- Measurement of dissociative states with the Clinician‐Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) Journal of Traumatic Stress 1998
- Altered NMDA Glutamate Receptor Antagonist Response in Individuals With a Family Vulnerability to Alcoholism American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 2004
- Cellular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of ketamine: role of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptors. Biological Psychiatry February 15, 2008
- Psychological effects of ketamine in healthy volunteers. Phenomenological study. The British Journal of Psychiatry August 1, 2006