Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30826253›Full record

Trial reportBiological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging2019

Effects of Ketamine on Brain Activity During Emotional Processing: Differential Findings in Depressed Versus Healthy Control Participants.

Jessica L Reed, Allison C Nugent, Maura L Furey, Joanna E Szczepanik, Jennifer W Evans, Carlos A Zarate

Open access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. Neuroimaging correlates and predictors of response to repeated-dose intravenous ketamine in PTSD: preliminary evidence.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021
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  16. Towards an expanded neurocognitive account of ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Jessica L ReedSection on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Electronic address: jessica.reed2@nih.gov.
Allison C NugentSection on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Maura L FureySection on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson & Johnson, San Diego, California.
Joanna E SzczepanikSection on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Jennifer W EvansSection on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Carlos A ZarateSection on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
National Institutes of Health · USNational Institute of Mental Health · USJohnson & Johnson (United States) · US

Funding

Glutamatergic Modulators for Rapid & Sustained Antidepressant EffectZIAMH002857 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI ZARATE, CARLOS · 2009 to 2025
$55.0M
Intramural NIH HHS Z99 MH999999Intramural NIH HHS ZIA MH002857
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn the search for novel treatments for depression, ketamine has emerged as a unique agent with rapid antidepressant effects. Experimental tasks involving emotional processing can be used during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning to investigate ketamine's effects on brain function in major depressive disorder (MDD). This study examined ketamine's effects on functional magnetic resonance imaging activity during an emotional processing task.

methodsA total of 33 individuals with treatment-resistant MDD and 24 healthy control participants (HCs) took part in this double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Participants received ketamine and placebo infusions 2 weeks apart, and functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were conducted at baseline and 2 days after each infusion. Blood oxygen level-dependent signal was measured during an emotional processing task, and a linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze differences in activation among group, drug, and task-specific factors.

resultsA group-by-drug interaction was observed in several brain regions, including a right frontal cluster extending into the anterior cingulate cortex and insula. Participants with MDD had greater activity than HCs after placebo infusion but showed lower activity after ketamine infusion, which was similar to the activity in HCs after placebo. A group-by-drug-by-task condition interaction was also found, which showed further differences that varied between implicit and explicit emotional conditions.

conclusionsThe main results indicate that ketamine had differential effects on brain activity in participants with MDD versus HCs. The pattern of activation in participants with MDD after ketamine infusion resembled the activation in HCs after placebo infusion, suggesting a normalization of function during emotional processing. The findings contribute to a better understanding of ketamine's actions in the brain.

Indexed as

AdultAntidepressive AgentsBrainBrain MappingCross-Over StudiesDouble-Blind MethodEmotionsFacial RecognitionFemaleHumansKetamineMagnetic Resonance ImagingMajor Depressive DisorderMaleTreatment OutcomeAntidepressive AgentsKetamineBrain activityDepressionEmotionFace processingfMRIKetamine

Identifiers

PMID30826253
PMCPMC6612456
OpenAlexW2911945569

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.