Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40355133›Full record

Trial reportThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science2025

Effects of ketamine on individual symptoms and symptom networks of depression in a randomised controlled trial of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression.

Shabnam Hossein, Manivel Rengasamy, Aiyedun Uzamere, Crystal Spotts, Robert H Howland, Meredith L Wallace, Sanjay J Mathew, Rebecca B Price

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Shabnam HosseinDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0698-5369
Manivel RengasamyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1379-743X
Aiyedun UzamereDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Crystal SpottsDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Robert H HowlandDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6533-6010
Meredith L WallaceDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Sanjay J MathewDepartment of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2715-6641
Rebecca B PriceDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4238-5207

Funding

University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001857 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI REIS, STEVEN E · 2016 to 2025
$129.3M
Institutional Career Development CoreKL2TR001856 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI RAY, KRISTIN N, RUBIO, DORIS M · 2016 to 2025
$13.8M
Testing a Synergistic, Neuroplasticity-Based Intervention for Depressive NeurocognitionR01MH113857 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI PRICE, REBECCA · 2017 to 2021
$2.4M
NCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR001856NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001857NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH113857
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnderstanding the effects of ketamine on depressive symptoms could help identify which patients might benefit and clarify its mechanism of action in both the early (≤1 day post-infusion) and late (e.g. 2-30 days post-infusion) post-infusion periods. Symptom network analyses could provide complementary information regarding relationships between symptoms.

aimsTo identify the effects of ketamine on symptom-level changes in depression across both the early and late post-infusion periods and on depressive symptom network changes.

methodsIn this secondary analysis of 152 adults with treatment-resistant depression (with 38.8% reporting suicidal ideation at baseline), we compared symptom changes in the early and late post-infusion periods between individuals randomised to a single 40 min infusion of intravenous ketamine 0.5 mg/kg (

resultsIn the early post-infusion period, the greatest improvement (comparing ketamine with saline) was in depressive symptoms related to sadness. In network analyses, symptom network connectivity increased following ketamine infusion. Symptoms of sadness and lassitude showed persistent improvement in the first week post-infusion, whereas improvements in suicidal thoughts first emerged 3-4 weeks post-infusion.

conclusionKetamine improved all symptoms but showed the greatest effect on symptoms of sadness, both immediately and in the initial week after treatment. Ketamine also rapidly altered the topology of symptom networks, strengthening interrelationships between residual symptoms. The efficacy of ketamine (compared with saline) regarding suicidal symptoms emerged later. Our findings suggest potentially divergent efficacy, time courses and mechanisms for different symptoms of depression.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDepressive Disorder, Treatment-ResistantKetamineAdultFemaleHumansInfusions, IntravenousMaleMiddle AgedSuicidal IdeationTreatment OutcomeAntidepressive AgentsKetamineBiologicaldepressionketamineout-patient treatmentrandomised controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID40355133
PMCPMC12310196

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.