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A recent study examining the effects of ketamine infusion on depression found that the infusion induces psychological experiences of awe. These experiences may mediate the effects of ketamine on the improvement of depression symptoms. The paper was published in Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science.
Ketamine is a medication primarily used as an anesthetic in both humans and animals. In this role, it is valued for its rapid onset and safety in maintaining cardiovascular function. It disrupts the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain, which accounts for its unique anesthetic effects.
Beyond its use in anesthesia, ketamine has gained attention for its rapid-acting antidepressant effects, particularly in cases of treatment-resistant depression and in individuals contemplating suicide. For mental health applications, it is typically administered intravenously or as a nasal spray in controlled settings. However, ketamine is sometimes abused for its dissociative and hallucinogenic effects, raising concerns about misuse and addiction.
Study author Julia Aepfelbacher and her colleagues sought to explore the role of awe in the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Awe is defined as a constellation of reactions that occur when a person encounters a “vast mystery” or experiences a need for “accommodation” to reorganize their knowledge structures to make sense of what they have encountered. To investigate this, the researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial.
The study included 116 individuals with moderate to severe depression. Participants were randomly divided into two groups in a 2:1 ratio. One group consisted of 77 participants who received a single ketamine infusion (0.5 mg/kg over 40 minutes), while the remaining 39 participants received a saline solution (50 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride) as a placebo. Approximately 40 minutes after receiving their assigned infusion, participants completed assessments of awe (using the AWE scale) and dissociative symptoms (using the Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale). They also completed depression symptom assessments (using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) at multiple points over the following 30 days.
The results showed that participants who received the ketamine infusion tended to score higher on the AWE scale, indicating stronger experiences of awe. These […]
Experiences of awe may drive ketamine’s antidepressant benefits
