Extending the Benefits of Ketamine Treatment

This episode explores how to extend the rapid but short-lived benefits of ketamine treatment for depression. While ketamine can significantly improve mood within 24 hours, these effects often fade within one to two weeks.

The focus is on a study investigating whether combining a single ketamine infusion with Automated Self-Association Training (ASAT), a computer-based training targeting self-worth, could prolong the antidepressant effect. The idea is that ketamine might create a window of enhanced neuroplasticity, making the brain more receptive to learning.

This original study can be found here:

Price, R. B., Spotts, C., Panny, B., Griffo, A., Degutis, M., Cruz, N., et al. (2022). A novel, brief, fully automated intervention to extend the antidepressant effect of a single ketamine infusion: A randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 179(12), 959–968. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20220216