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Does the intensity of dissociation predict antidepressant effects 24 hours after infusion of racemic ketamine or esketamine in treatment-resistant depression? A secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial

M. Echegaray, R. Mello, G. Magnavita, G. C. Leal, F. S. Correia-Melo, A. P. Jesus-Nunes, F. Vieira, I. D. Bandeira et al.

Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 2023

15 citations

Abstract

Abstract Objective Ketamine and esketamine have both shown significant antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and conflicting evidence suggests that dissociation induced by these drugs could be a clinical predictor of esketamine/ketamine's efficacy. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of data from a two-center, randomized, controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive an IV infusion of either esketamine (0.25 mg/kg) or racemic ketamine (0.50 mg/kg) over 40 minutes. Dissociative symptoms were assessed using the Clinician-Administered Dissociative State Scale (CADSS) 40 minutes following the beginning of the infusion. Variations in depression scores were measured with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), which was administered before the intervention as a baseline measure and 24 hours, 72 hours, and 7 days following infusion. Results Sixty-one patients were included in the analysis. Examining CADSS scores of 15 or below, for every 1-point increment in the CADSS score, there was a mean change of −0.5 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.25; p = 0.04) of predicted MADRS score from baseline to 24 hours. The results for 72 hours and 7 days following infusion were not significant. Since the original trial was not designed to assess the relationship between ketamine or esketamine-induced dissociation and antidepressant effects as the main outcome, confounding variables for this relationship were not controlled.…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a secondary / pooled analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.

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