Bipolar
Depression

Ketamine for treatment-resistant depression - an fMRI and EEG study

Type

In person

Age

18-55

Location

London

Time commitment

Participation will involve 11 visits over the course of 2 - 3 months to the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King's College London, SE5 8AF. All visits will take place Monday - Friday between 8:30am and 6pm. The visits will include:

- An initial screening visit to assess if you are suitable for the study. (3 hours)

- 3 x brain imaging visits. (7 hours)

- 6 x drug administration visits. (4 x 4 hours, 2 x 6 hours)

- A follow up visit. (2 hours)

Rewards and expenses

£500 compensation for completing the study. Taxis provided for visits 2 - 11 for those in London; travel expenses reimbursed for those outside London.

About the study

Ketamine, a commonly used anaesthetic, has been found to have rapid-acting antidepressant effects in some people with treatment-resistant depression.

Using brain imaging techniques, we will observe the effects of ketamine treatment on brain activity patterns and how this relates to any changes in the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression in major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. This will help us gain a better understanding of the mechanisms behind ketamine's potential antidepressant effects.

What will it involve?

Participation involves 11 visits to the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King’s College London at Denmark Hill, spread over the course of 2-3 months.

- Visit 1: A screening visit to assess if you are suitable for the study including a comprehensive mental and physical health exam with a study doctor.
- Visits 2, 6 & 10: 3 x study days where you will have an MRI scan and an EEG scan to assess brain function and activity as well as completing tasks and questionnaires assessing your memory, concentration, and mood.
- Visits 3-5 and 7-9: 6 x infusion days where you will receive 3 x intravenous infusions of active placebo and 3 x intravenous infusions of ketamine with a study day in between. The order that the 2 sets of infusions are given is randomly assigned to you.
- Visit 11: A follow up visit with some short questionnaires and health checks.

Researcher photo: Mathew Burrows
Meet the researcher

Matthew Burrows

Research Assistant

Matthew Burrows is a research assistant at King's College London. He is currently working on the SIGNATuRE study which uses brain imaging to investigate the effects of ketamine on brain activity patterns in people with major depressive disorder.

Research conducted by: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience

This study is no longer accepting applications

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