The following is a summary of “Change in neurocognitive functioning in patients with treatment-resistant depression with serial intravenous ketamine infusions: The Bio-K multicenter trial,” published in the May 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Singh et al.

Researchers conducted a prospective study exploring the impact of intravenous (IV) ketamine on cognitive function in adults with TRD by conducting cognitive function in adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD)

They recruited 74 adults with TRD and gave them three IV ketamine infusions during the acute phase. If their depression improved, they received four more infusions in the continuation phase. Cognitive assessments were done using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) at different points.

The results showed that after the acute phase, 53% (n=39/74) of patients saw their depression symptoms improve. They found that higher baseline language scores were linked to better odds of remission and more remarkable improvement in depression symptoms (OR 1.09, 95% CI= 1.03-1.17, P=0.004) and significant improvement in MADRS at the end of the acute phase (ß=-0.97; 95% CI, -1.74 to -0.20; P=0.02). However, they didn’t find significant associations between baseline memory, visuospatial, attention scores, and remission. In the continuation phase, improvements in memory and attention continued, and there were additional gains in visuospatial and language domains.

Investigators concluded that IV ketamine might improve cognitive function in patients with TRD rather than make it worse. However, they acknowledged limitations like the open-label design and the need for more extensive studies with extended follow-up periods.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178124001148