Sleep-administered ketamine/psychedelics: A streamlined strategy to address two challenges in research on ketamine and psychedelics.
European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists – February 05, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Administering ketamine and psychedelics during sleep could revolutionize how we understand their antidepressant effects. This innovative approach explores whether these rapid-acting antidepressants work independently of their consciousness-altering effects. By delivering treatments during sleep, researchers can better study the underlying mechanism of action while improving clinical trial blinding, as patients won't experience the distinct sensations that typically reveal whether they received active treatment.
Abstract
The dissociative effects of ketamine and psychedelics might be associated with their rapid antidepressant properties, raising questions about whether these effects are necessary for their therapeutic action. Additionally, the distinct dissociative experiences often reported by patients in clinical trials may reveal whether they receive an active treatment or a placebo, potentially introducing bias into the results. In this viewpoint, we propose administering ketamine/psychedelics to patients during sleep, offering a novel approach to address and explore these challenges.