The effects of ketamine and risperidone on eye movement control in healthy volunteers
Anne Schmechtig, J. Lees, A. Perkins, A. Altavilla, K. Craig, G. Dawson, J. F. William Deakin, C. Dourish, L. H. Evans, I. Koychev, K. Weaver, R. Smallman, J. Walters, L. Wilkinson, R. Morris, S. Williams, Ulrich Ettinger
Translational Psychiatry December 1, 2013 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2013.109 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 72 |
| Population | Healthy participants |
| Interventions | Ketamine Risperidone |
| Dose | intravenous 100 ng ml−1 ketamine, 2 mg oral risperidone |
| Measures | smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM), prosaccades (PS), antisaccades (AS) |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key points | Ketamine produced oculomotor deficits resembling some of those seen in schizophrenia, increasing saccadic frequency and decreasing smooth pursuit velocity gain, but risperidone did not reverse these effects. Risperidone itself slowed prosaccade and antisaccade peak velocity and reduced amplitude gain. No ketamine-by-risperidone interactions were found, which the authors say does not support risperidone's cognitive-enhancing potential in this model. |
Abstract
The non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine leads to transient psychosis-like symptoms and impairments in oculomotor performance in healthy volunteers. This study examined whether the adverse effects of ketamine on oculomotor performance can be reversed by the atypical antipsychotic risperidone. In this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 72 healthy participants performed smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM), prosaccades (PS) and antisaccades (AS) while being randomly assigned to one of four drug groups (intravenous 100 ng ml−1 ketamine, 2 mg oral risperidone, 100 ng ml−1 ketamine plus 2 mg oral risperidone, placebo). Drug administration did not lead to harmful adverse events. Ketamine increased saccadic frequency and decreased velocity gain of SPEM (all P<0.01) but had no significant effects on PS or AS (all P⩾0.07). An effect of risperidone was observed for amplitude gain and peak velocity of PS and AS, indicating hypometric gain and slower velocities compared with placebo (both P⩽0.04). No ketamine by risperidone interactions were found (all P⩾0.26). The results confirm that the administration of ketamine produces oculomotor performance deficits similar in part to those seen in schizophrenia. The atypical antipsychotic risperidone did not reverse ketamine-induced deteriorations. These findings do not support the cognitive enhancing potential of risperidone on oculomotor biomarkers in this model system of schizophrenia and point towards the importance of developing alternative performance-enhancing compounds to optimise pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Healthy human subjects recruited from the community | 1994 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 19 |
| 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 |
| Remifentanil-induced Postoperative Hyperalgesia and Its Prevention with Small-dose Ketamine Patients undergoing major abdominal surgery | 2005 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 75 |
| Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients with chronic PTSD related to a range of trauma exposures | 2014 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Auditory and Visual Context-Dependent Processing in Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers | 2000 | Single-blind placebo-controlled study | n = 20 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Pharmacodynamic Interactions Between Ketamine and Psychiatric Medications Used in the Treatment of Depression: A Systematic Review The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology June 25, 2021
- Central nervous system-related safety and tolerability of add-on ketamine to antidepressant medication in treatment-resistant depression: focus on the unique safety profile of bipolar depression Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2021
- Behavioral effects of sub-anesthetic ketamine in a go/no-go task Journal of Psychedelic Studies January 15, 2021
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- Attenuation of the Neuropsychiatric Effects of Ketamine With Lamotrigine Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 2000
- Glutamate and the Neural Basis of the Subjective Effects of Ketamine Archives of General Psychiatry February 1, 2008
- Cognitive and subjective acute dose effects of intramuscular ketamine in healthy adults. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology November 1, 2006
and 4 more in the library