A pilot study of plasma metabolomic patterns from patients treated with ketamine for bipolar depression: evidence for a response-related difference in mitochondrial networks.
British journal of pharmacology April 1, 2014 A Villaseñor, A Ramamoorthy, M Silva Dos Santos et al. 69 citations
Ketamine rapidly lifts depression in about 65% of people with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder, but why some respond and others do not has been unclear. By analyzing plasma from 22 bipolar patients given ketamine or placebo, researchers found that metabolomic patterns—especially those related to mitochondrial fatty acid breakdown—differed between responders and non-responders, but only in patients maintained on lithium, not valproate. In lithium-treated responders, certain lysophospholipids were elevated. These metabolic differences existed before ketamine was given, suggesting that a simple blood test could predict who will benefit from ketamine and help personalize treatment.