Abstract
The glutamatergic modulator ketamine has striking and rapid antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD), but its mechanism of action remains unknown. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is the only non-invasive method able to directly measure glutamate levels in vivo; in particular, glutamate and glutamine metabolite concentrations are separable by 1H-MRS at 7T. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study that included 1H-MRS scans at baseline and at 24 h post ketamine and post-placebo infusions sought to determine glutamate levels in the pregenual anterior cingulate (pgACC) of 20 medication-free MDD subjects and 17 healthy volunteers (HVs) 24 h post ketamine administration, and to evaluate any other measured metabolite changes, correlates, or predictors of antidepressant response. Metabolite levels were compared at three scan times (baseline, post-ketamine, and post-placebo) in HVs and MDD subjects at 7T using a 1H-MRS sequence specifically optimized for glutamate. No significant between-group differences in 1H-MRS-measured metabolites were observed at baseline. Antidepressant response was not predicted by baseline glutamate levels. Our results suggest that any infusion-induced increases in glutamate at the 24-h post ketamine time point were below the sensitivity of the current technique; that these increases may occur in different brain regions than the pgACC; or that subgroups of MDD subjects may exist that have a differential glutamate response to ketamine.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the 7SE research unit and staff for their support. Ioline Henter (NIMH) provided invaluable editorial assistance
Funding
Funding for this work was supported by the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health (IRP-NIMH-NIH; ZIA MH002857), by a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award to Dr. Zarate, and by a Brain and Behavior Mood Disorders Research Award to Dr. Zarate. Dr. Zarate is listed as a co-inventor on a patent for the use of ketamine and its metabolites in major depression and suicidal ideation. Dr. Zarate is listed as a co-inventor on a patent for the use of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine, (S)-dehydronorketamine, and other stereoisomeric dehydro and hydroxylated metabolites of (R,S)-ketamine metabolites in the treatment of depression and neuropathic pain. Dr. Zarate is listed as co-inventor on a patent application for the use of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine and (2S,6S)-hydroxynorketamine in the treatment of depression, anxiety, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorders; he has assigned his patent rights to the US government but will share a percentage of any royalties that may be received by the government.
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Evans, J.W., Lally, N., An, L. et al. 7T 1H-MRS in major depressive disorder: a Ketamine Treatment Study. Neuropsychopharmacol 43, 1908–1914 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-018-0057-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-018-0057-1
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