Identifying Ketamine Responses in Treatment-Resistant Depression Using a Wearable Forehead EEG
arXiv Preprint Archive May 29, 2018 Zehong Cao, Chin-Teng Lin, Weiping Ding et al.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 55 outpatients with treatment-resistant depression received either 0.5 mg/kg ketamine, 0.2 mg/kg ketamine, or saline. Using a wearable forehead EEG device, responders to ketamine showed weaker theta power at baseline and increased alpha power with lower alpha asymmetry and theta cordance after treatment compared to non-responders. A baseline EEG predictor classified responders and non-responders with 81.3% accuracy, 82.1% sensitivity, and 91.9% specificity. The rapid antidepressant effects of mixed ketamine doses are linked to prefrontal EEG patterns, which may help identify likely responders before treatment.