Manivel Rengasamy , Benjamin Panny , Zakary Hutchinson , Anna Marsland , Tessa Kovats , Angela Griffo , Crystal Spotts , Robert H. Howland , Meredith L. Wallace , Sanjay J. Mathew , Shabnam Hossein , Rebecca B. Price
{"title":"Lack of relationships between ketamine treatment and peripheral neurotrophic and inflammatory factors in a randomized controlled ketamine trial of major depressive disorder","authors":"Manivel Rengasamy , Benjamin Panny , Zakary Hutchinson , Anna Marsland , Tessa Kovats , Angela Griffo , Crystal Spotts , Robert H. Howland , Meredith L. Wallace , Sanjay J. Mathew , Shabnam Hossein , Rebecca B. Price","doi":"10.1016/j.bbi.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Ketamine is a rapid-acting treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), though mechanisms related to ketamine’s effects remain unclear. Blood-based neurotrophic and inflammatory factors (NIFs; e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin-6) have emerged as markers potentially linked to ketamine and ketamine treatment response.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 133 adults with TRD received a single-dose infusion of ketamine (n = 89; 0.5 mg/kg) or saline (n = 44) and provided measures of peripheral blood NIF levels and depression severity across a five-day post-infusion period. Differences between ketamine and saline groups were examined for (1) NIF levels, (2) associations between NIF trajectories and depression score trajectories, and (3) associations between baseline NIF levels and depression score trajectories. Subgroup sensitivity analyses examined identical relationships within many (n = 28) discrete subgroups of individuals.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>No differences were found between ketamine and saline cohorts for NIF trajectories, associations of NIF and depression trajectories, or associations of baseline NIF levels and depression trajectories. On subgroup analyses, in participants with lower BMI (BMI < 25; n = 66), increasing interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) trajectories post-ketamine were associated with less improvement in depression in the first day post-infusion.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Associations between ketamine treatment and peripheral neurotrophic/inflammatory factors were not detected in our RCT of 133 adults with TRD. The sole exception across exhaustive sensitivity analyses was that, in individuals with low BMI, increases in IL-1RA levels may be linked to worse immediate treatment response. Future research investigating CNS-specific NIF activity is needed to more definitively test the posited role of NIFs in ketamine’s antidepressant mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9199,"journal":{"name":"Brain, Behavior, and Immunity","volume":"128 ","pages":"Pages 170-178"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Brain, Behavior, and Immunity","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159125001308","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Lack of relationships between ketamine treatment and peripheral neurotrophic and inflammatory factors in a randomized controlled ketamine trial of major depressive disorder
Background
Ketamine is a rapid-acting treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), though mechanisms related to ketamine’s effects remain unclear. Blood-based neurotrophic and inflammatory factors (NIFs; e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin-6) have emerged as markers potentially linked to ketamine and ketamine treatment response.
Methods
In this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 133 adults with TRD received a single-dose infusion of ketamine (n = 89; 0.5 mg/kg) or saline (n = 44) and provided measures of peripheral blood NIF levels and depression severity across a five-day post-infusion period. Differences between ketamine and saline groups were examined for (1) NIF levels, (2) associations between NIF trajectories and depression score trajectories, and (3) associations between baseline NIF levels and depression score trajectories. Subgroup sensitivity analyses examined identical relationships within many (n = 28) discrete subgroups of individuals.
Results
No differences were found between ketamine and saline cohorts for NIF trajectories, associations of NIF and depression trajectories, or associations of baseline NIF levels and depression trajectories. On subgroup analyses, in participants with lower BMI (BMI < 25; n = 66), increasing interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) trajectories post-ketamine were associated with less improvement in depression in the first day post-infusion.
Discussion
Associations between ketamine treatment and peripheral neurotrophic/inflammatory factors were not detected in our RCT of 133 adults with TRD. The sole exception across exhaustive sensitivity analyses was that, in individuals with low BMI, increases in IL-1RA levels may be linked to worse immediate treatment response. Future research investigating CNS-specific NIF activity is needed to more definitively test the posited role of NIFs in ketamine’s antidepressant mechanisms.
期刊介绍:
Established in 1987, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity proudly serves as the official journal of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS). This pioneering journal is dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed basic, experimental, and clinical studies that explore the intricate interactions among behavioral, neural, endocrine, and immune systems in both humans and animals.
As an international and interdisciplinary platform, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity focuses on original research spanning neuroscience, immunology, integrative physiology, behavioral biology, psychiatry, psychology, and clinical medicine. The journal is inclusive of research conducted at various levels, including molecular, cellular, social, and whole organism perspectives. With a commitment to efficiency, the journal facilitates online submission and review, ensuring timely publication of experimental results. Manuscripts typically undergo peer review and are returned to authors within 30 days of submission. It's worth noting that Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, published eight times a year, does not impose submission fees or page charges, fostering an open and accessible platform for scientific discourse.