NCT05320107

The Effect of Ketamine on Aesthetics and Role for Antidepressant Effects

Unraveling the Aesthetic Mind in Anhedonia, Insights From Pharmacological Imaging of the Human Brain: A Single-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Cross-over Study

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Medical University of Vienna · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of ketamine on aesthetic perception and processing. This study assesses the role of these effects in facilitating ketamine's antidepressant properties, with a focus on anhedonia. To address this aim, 25 patients with major depressive disorder and 35 healthy controls will be assessed twice with magnetic resonance imaging, once after administration of intravenous ketamine (subanesthetic dose) and once after administration of placebo.This study has a single-center, placebo-controlled, cross-over study design. During MRI, structural, resting state, and functional imaging will be performed. Functional imaging will comprise aesthetic processing, reward, and sexual arousal paradigms. In addition, various neuropsychological scales assessing depressive symptoms, anhedonia, and aesthetic processing will be performed. Eligibility for participation will be assessed during a screening visit, a follow up visit will end study participation.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Ketamine	0.5mg/kg bodyweight (or 0.25mg/kg bodyweight) ketamine, will be determined in pilot study
DRUG	Placebo	0.9% NaCl

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-06-01
• Primary completion: 2025-02-28
• Completion: 2025-02-28
• First posted: 2022-04-11
• Last updated: 2024-04-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Austria