Ketamine's Altered States Meta-Analysis: The Relationship Between Psychomimetic and Clinical Effects With Focus in Depression.
Journal of clinical psychopharmacology Vagner Deuel de O Tavares, Kaike Thiê da Costa Gonçalves, Maria Luiza de Morais Barros et al. 1 citation
A meta-analysis of eleven studies found no significant correlation between the psychoactive (psychomimetic) effects of ketamine and clinical outcomes in mental illness, including depression. The overall correlation was r = 0.06, and for depression specifically r = 0.03, both non-significant. Sub-analyses accounting for patient disorders, intravenous administration, assessment instruments, and timing also yielded no significant findings. High heterogeneity was present. The analysis suggests that altered states of consciousness during ketamine sessions are not directly linked to clinical outcomes, but the limited number of studies and heterogeneity make this conclusion preliminary.