Neurocognitive effects of subanesthetic serial ketamine infusions in treatment resistant depression.
Journal of Affective Disorders April 1, 2023 A. Zavaliangos-Petropulu, S. Mcclintock, Jacqueline Khalil et al. 16 citations
Ketamine treatment improves cognitive function in people with treatment-resistant depression, and these improvements last at least five weeks. In a study of 66 patients receiving four ketamine infusions, significant gains occurred in inhibition, working memory, processing speed, and overall fluid cognition after the first and fourth infusions. Processing speed and overall fluid cognition remained improved at a five-week follow-up, even though depressive symptoms had largely returned to baseline by then. Baseline working memory and changes in inhibition were moderately linked to antidepressant response, but cognitive improvements were statistically independent of mood changes, suggesting ketamine acts on overlapping but distinct brain systems.