Ketamine treatment effects on DNA methylation and Epigenetic Biomarkers of aging
medRxiv Preprint Server September 10, 2024 Kristin Dawson, Athena May Jean M. Carangan, Jessica Klunder et al. 4 citations preprint
Depression and PTSD are linked to poor health outcomes similar to aging. Ketamine infusions rapidly reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. In 20 participants with moderate to severe depression or trauma, a 2-3 week course of 0.5 mg/kg ketamine infusions reduced depression and PTSD scores. Epigenetic age, measured by OMICmAge, GrimAge V2, and PhenoAge biomarkers, decreased after treatment. Changes in underlying epigenetic biomarker proxies and surrogate protein markers were also observed. The findings align with prior research on ketamine's epigenetic effects and suggest these biomarkers capture signals related to clinical improvement and biological aging.