Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology June 7, 2012 Wallace C. Duncan, Simone Sarasso, Fabio Ferrarelli et al. 253 citations
A single infusion of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine rapidly reduces depressive symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. In 30 patients, ketamine increased electroencephalogram slow wave activity during early non-REM sleep and raised plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The occurrence of high amplitude slow waves and their slope also increased, indicating enhanced synaptic strength. Changes in BDNF levels correlated with changes in EEG parameters, but only in patients who responded to ketamine. This suggests that enhanced synaptic plasticity, reflected by increased slow wave activity and BDNF, is part of the mechanism behind ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects.