Higher Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated With Better Response to Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Post Hoc Exploratory Analysis of Real-World Data.
Journal of clinical psychopharmacology May 1, 2026 Matteo Carminati, Mattia Tondello, Chiara Morana et al.
In a small retrospective study of 16 patients with treatment-resistant depression treated with intranasal esketamine, those who responded to treatment after 7 months had higher baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) than non-responders (1.81 vs. 1.23). The difference remained significant after adjusting for age. The findings suggest that a patient's inflammatory status before treatment may influence their response to esketamine, but the small sample and retrospective design limit confidence. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify whether inflammatory markers can predict esketamine response.