Could the illegal party drug ketamine ease depression? Horse tranquilizer improves sufferers’ sleep and interest
- Patients who respond to the drug have greater overall activity levels days later
- Depressive episodes are characterized by a reduced interest in activities
- More activities before infusion is associated with higher amounts afterwards
- Doctors may therefore be able to predict patients who will respond to the drug
- Ketamine is a Schedule III drug in the United States and a class B in the UK
The illegal party drug ketamine could ease depression, new research suggests.
Patients who respond to the horse tranquilizer have greater overall activity levels days after its infusion, a study found.
Depressive episodes are partially characterized by a reduced interest in activities.
Responsive patients also sleep better the following day, the research adds.
Ketamine is a Schedule III drug in the United States and a class B in the UK. It can legally be prescribed by doctors as a general anesthetic in humans and animals.
The illegal party drug ketamine could ease depression, new research suggests
How the study was carried out
Researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, analyzed 51 people with major depressive or bipolar disorder.
All of the study's participants failed to respond to previous treatments.
They were given a single infusion of ketamine.
The researchers tracked the timing and degree of participants' activities via wristwatches.
Ketamine boosts activity levels
Results reveal that depressed patients who respond to ketamine have greater overall activity levels three days later.
Depressive episodes are partially characterized by a reduced interest in activities.
Such patients also experience improved sleep quality the day after drug infusion.
Those who do more activities prior to ketamine's infusion have more favorable outcomes, which suggests doctors can predict patients who will respond to the drug.
Dr John Krystal, editor of the journal Biological Psychiatry, where the study was published, said: 'It would be nice if daily patterns of activity could be used clinically to identify people who might respond to ketamine and to monitor clinical improvement.'
Previous research reveals ketamine likely eases depression by promoting the growth of new connections between brain cells in the regions associated with mood and emotion.
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