Overview

Use of Ketamine to Enhance Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in Depression

Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2010-10-01
Target enrollment:
0
Participant gender:
All
Summary
The primary objectives of this study are to investigate the potential for ketamine anesthesia to increase the antidepressant efficacy of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and to decrease acute ECT-induced adverse cognitive effects.
Phase:
N/A
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?
No
Details
Lead Sponsor:
James Murrough
Treatments:
Ketamine
Methohexital
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female patients: 18 to 59 years

2. Women of childbearing potential must agree to use a medically accepted means of
contraception for the duration of the study

3. DSM IV MINI diagnosis of major depressive episode (MDD), unipolar or bipolar

4. Pretreatment 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score > 21

5. ECT is clinically indicated

6. Patient has the capacity to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or mental retardation

2. Current primary diagnosis of anxiety disorder, obsessive- compulsive disorder, or
eating disorder that precedes the onset of the current episode of depression

3. Current diagnosis of delirium, dementia, or amnestic disorder

4. Baseline Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score < 24 and a total score falling two
standard deviations below the age- and education-adjusted mean

5. Any active general medical condition or CNS disease which can affect cognition or
response to treatment

6. Current (within the past three months) diagnosis of active substance dependence, or
active substance abuse within the past week

7. Lifetime history of ketamine or PCP abuse or dependence

8. ECT within three months

9. The presence of any known or suspected contraindication to methohexital or ketamine
including but not limited to known allergic reactions to these agents, uncontrolled
hypertension arrhythmia severe coronary artery disease and porphyria

10. Pregnancy