NCT07139106

Understanding the Role of the Kappa Opioid Receptor in Ketamine's Attenuation of Suicidal Thoughts

Dynorphin/Kappa Opioid Receptor Signaling Role in Ketamine's Anti-suicidal Ideation Effect

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 12 (estimated)
• Sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 59 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study explores how stress, suicidal thoughts, and ketamine's effects are connected in people with major depressive disorder. Stress increases the risk for suicidal thoughts, but the biological basis is unclear. Ketamine may help reduce suicidal thoughts by affecting stress-linked brain systems. This study will use smartphone tracking to monitor real-time responses to stress and positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans to study how ketamine affects brain pathways related to stress and suicidal thoughts in depressed individuals.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Ketamine hydrochloride infusion	single racemic ketamine hydrochloride 0.5 mg/kg infusion

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-05-01
• Primary completion: 2028-05-01
• Completion: 2028-05-01
• First posted: 2025-08-24
• Last updated: 2026-03-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study