Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
April 7, 2015
Caoimhe M. Coyle, Keith R. Laws
279 citations
Ketamine infusion produces a significant antidepressant effect in people with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, with effects appearing within 4 hours and lasting up to 7 days after a single dose. Repeated infusions produce larger effects than single infusions at 4 hours, 24 hours, and 7 days. The proportion of male participants predicted a stronger antidepressant response at 7 days. Peak response time may differ by diagnosis: 24 hours for major depressive disorder and 7 days for bipolar disorder. Results from studies at 12–14 days did not reach significance. Most published studies used pre–post comparisons; more placebo-controlled studies are needed.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
July 10, 2007
Keith R. Laws, Joy Kokkalis
75 citations
A meta-analysis of 26 studies found that recreational ecstasy use is associated with moderate to large impairments in memory. Short-term memory showed a moderate deficit, while long-term memory showed a large deficit; the difference between these two types was not significant. Verbal memory was strongly impaired, significantly more than visual memory, which showed only a small impairment. Visual memory problems may be partly due to concurrent cannabis use. The total number of ecstasy tablets consumed over a lifetime did not predict memory performance, suggesting that other factors may be more important.
Open MIND
July 2, 2026
Keith R. Laws, Paul M. Jenkinson, Daniel Fray et al.
Disturbances in the sense of self, agency, and bodily ownership are considered core features of schizophrenia. The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) is a widely used experimental paradigm to investigate bodily self-consciousness, where participants experience ownership over a rubber hand under multisensory stimulation. Since first applied to schizophrenia in 2003, studies have examined whether individuals with schizophrenia show altered susceptibility to the illusion, but findings have become increasingly heterogeneous due to differences in paradigms, outcome measures, and patient samples. A previous small meta-analysis found little evidence for a body ownership deficit, but the evidence base has expanded. This review synthesizes available evidence on embodiment and action in schizophrenia using RHI paradigms, quantifying effects and examining differences by paradigm type, outcome measure, and symptom profile.