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Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

Treatment of Major Depression Translational Psychiatry

3 papers

A randomized, double-blind, active placebo-controlled study of efficacy, safety, and durability of repeated vs single subanesthetic ketamine for treatment-resistant depression

Paulo Shiroma, Paul Thuras, Joseph Wels, C. Sophia Albott, Christopher R. Erbes, Susannah J. Tye, et al.
Translational Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2020 104 citations

This randomized, double-blind trial tested whether six low-dose ketamine infusions over 12 days worked better than a single ketamine infusion for people with treatment-resistant depression. At 24 hours after the last infusion, there was no significant difference in clinician-rated depression scores between the group that received six ketamine infusions and…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Low dose oral ketamine treatment in chronic suicidality: An open-label pilot study

Adem Can, Daniel F. Hermens, Megan Dutton, Cyrana C. Gallay, Emma Jensen, Monique Jones, et al.
Translational Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2021 55 citations

In an open-label pilot study, 32 adults (ages 22–72; 53% female) with ongoing suicidal thoughts took low-dose oral ketamine for six weeks (starting at 0.5 mg/kg and titrated up to 3.0 mg/kg). Average scores on the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation fell from a high level before treatment to below…

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Rapid neuroplasticity changes and response to intravenous ketamine: a randomized controlled trial in treatment-resistant depression

Jared M. Kopelman, Timothy A. Keller, Benjamin Panny, Angela Griffo, Michelle Degutis, Crystal Spotts, et al.
Translational Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2023 52 citations

In a randomized trial, 98 adults with treatment-resistant depression had brain scans before and 24 hours after a single intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) or saline. The researchers measured mean diffusivity (DTI-MD), an MRI-based, indirect marker of microstructural brain change that tends to fall when new synapses or tissue…

Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Treatment of Major Depression
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