The NEO-FFI domain of openness to experience moderates ketamine response in treatment resistant depression.
Journal of affective disorders January 1, 2020 Roman M Dale, Kelly A Bryant, Nora Finnegan et al. 17 citations
In people with treatment-resistant depression who had previously failed electroconvulsive therapy, higher openness to experience—a personality trait reflecting curiosity and willingness to try new things—was the only factor among the Big Five personality domains that significantly predicted a sustained response to repeated intravenous ketamine infusions. The study of 125 participants confirmed that, regardless of treatment response, the group as a whole showed elevated neuroticism, low conscientiousness, and low extraversion. The authors suggest that assessing openness could help identify patients most likely to benefit from long-term ketamine therapy and reduce unnecessary exposure to its unknown risks, though they note limitations including the lack of a placebo control, small sample, and non-standardized infusion schedules.