Ketamine's efficacy as an antidepressant is now well established yet the mechanisms
underlying its antidepressant effect are yet to be fully described. Work in the animal
literature and research in humans is suggestive of specific effects on anhedonia and memory
reconsolidation. In this study the investigators will further explore the effects of ketamine
on learning and memory as well as measuring the associated changes at neural level in a
sample of healthy volunteers. Participants will be assigned to receive ketamine or placebo
and complete a set of tasks which will allow the investigators to quantify the effect of
ketamine on learning about reward and punishment and memory for learned reward associations
24 hours after ketamine infusion. This study will help the investigators to understand the
basis of ketamine's antidepressant effects and aid the development of new treatments for
depression.
Phase:
N/A
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of Oxford
Collaborators:
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. Medical Research Council