Ketamine Treatment Options in Massachusetts

Aim 1: Test the hypothesis that participants with Bipolar Disorder - Fear of Harm Phenotype have an enhanced amygdala fMRI response to fearful threatening stimuli, increased resting beta and gamma EEG spectral activity in temporal leads and blunted posterior insula response to cold when partially withdrawn from ketamine with normalization of these responses following intranasal administration of ketamine. Aim 2. Test the hypothesis that ketamine alters response to fearful-threatening visual stimuli and cold sensation by altering functional connectivity of the amygdala and insula with the hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and identify specific alterations that correlate with degree of pre-post ketamine change. Aim 3. Test the hypothesis that low-dose medicinal ketamine, unlike high-dose recreation ketamine, is not associated with an increase in number of focal areas of abnormality on morphometric scans based on duration of use. Read Less

The main purpose of this study is to determine whether a rational strategy of EEG guided multimodal general anesthesia using target specific sedative and analgesics could result in enhanced recovery after anesthesia and surgery, decrease in postoperative delirium, and decrease in long term postoperative cognitive dysfunction up to 6 months following cardiac surgery. Read Less

We are doing this research study to find out how and where ketamine acts in the brain. Ketamine is an anesthetic (a drug or agent used to decrease or eliminate the feeling of pain by putting you in an unconscious state). We will look at the brain using a machine that records the brain's electrical activity, called an electroencephalogram (EEG). We will assess how it impacts patient's pain responses. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to compare pain threshold, pain tolerance, and wind up, as measured by QST, before and after a single dose of ketamine infusion under two clinical conditions: chronic pain patients on opioid therapy and chronic pain patients without opioid therapy. Read Less

This is a multi-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the acute efficacy of brexpiprazole or placebo in combination with intranasal ketamine added to ongoing, stable, and adequate antidepressant therapy (ADT) in the treatment of adults with Major Depressive Disorder with Treatment Resistant Depression. Read Less

The investigators are performing this research study to find out how and where the anesthetic drugs sevoflurane and ketamine act in the brain. Sevoflurane and ketamine are anesthetics (a drug or agent used to decrease or eliminate the feeling of pain by causing unconsciousness). The investigators will study the brain using a machine that records the brain's electrical activity, called an electroencephalogram (EEG). Read Less

The purpose of this study is to measure the amount of ketamine in blood over time in subjects diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and explore the anti-depressive effects of ketamine delivered by transdermal patch. Read Less

Ketamine has been shown to decrease symptoms of anxious depression quickly. This decrease has been shown to last for up to one month. MRI technology will be used before and after ketamine for patients with depression to examine the extent to which certain brain areas predict ketamine's antidepressant effects. Read Less

This study is looking at the efficacy, durability, safety, and tolerability of multiple single doses of Ketamine vs. active placebo for treating patients with treatment resistant depression who are taking an antidepressant that is not working for them. Read Less

Anxious depression is a particularly difficult-to-treat subtype of depression. Patients with anxious depression do not respond as well to currently available antidepressant medications. Nevertheless, in previous studies, low dose IV ketamine, which rapidly decreases symptoms of depression within hours in many patients with "treatment-resistant" depression, has been associated with superior efficacy in those individuals with anxious compared with non-anxious depression. In order to understand this unique effect more fully, the current protocol is aimed at further delineating biomarkers of ketamine's effects among individuals with treatment-resistant anxious depression compared to those with nonanxious depression. Read Less

Ketamine infusions resulted in an acute reduction in global depression scores and in severity of suicidal ideation. Scopolamine infusions produced also a significant improvement in depression that was sustained over time. We therefore plan to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of open-label repeated intravenous administration of ketamine and scopolamine combined in this population of severely depressed, treatment-resistant patients. The results from this study could lead to the development of new strategies for the treatment of patients with TRD. Read Less

The aim of the study is to assess the effect of short-term infusion of ketamine at analgesic dosage on the immune response, morbidity and mortality among patients suffering from septic shock. We hypothesize that ketamine will modulate the cytokine response to sepsis and reduce morbidity and mortality. Read Less