CompletedNot ApplicableInterventional

Reward emotion learning and ketamine study

Ketamine is a medicine known to relieve severe depression rapidly. However, doctors do not yet fully understand how it works inside the brain, especially in areas that control learning and memory. This study, run by the University of Oxford, aims to explore how ketamine influences brain activity when people make choices and remember emotional events. The researchers are looking for healthy adult volunteers aged 18 and older. If you choose to take part, you will have medical and mental health checks, complete simple computer tasks, and receive a single dose of either ketamine or a harmless dummy medicine (placebo) through a drip. The next day, you will have an MRI scan to take pictures of your brain activity. While taking part will not improve your own health, the findings will help scientists design better, faster-acting treatments for people suffering from depression.

At a glance

Status

Completed

Phase

Not Applicable

Sponsor

University of Oxford

Enrolment target

Start

20 Apr 2021

Estimated completion

31 Aug 2023

Cognitive effects of ketamine on healthy volunteers

What is this study about?

Depression is a common and difficult mental health condition. While traditional antidepressants can take several weeks to begin working, ketamine has been shown to lift low mood within hours. Even though doctors know ketamine can work quickly, they do not fully understand the exact ways it affects the brain's learning, memory, and emotional decision-making systems.

This research project aims to solve that puzzle. By studying how a single dose of ketamine changes brain function, researchers want to see how people process rewards and make choices. Because ketamine may work on the brain circuits involved in emotional memory, understanding these pathways could show scientists how to create new, safer treatments for depression that work just as fast.

The study involves healthy volunteers rather than people currently living with depression. Testing healthy volunteers allows scientists to see the direct effects of the drug on the brain without other factors, such as ongoing symptoms or other medications, getting in the way.

Taking part helps advance modern psychiatry. If researchers can pinpoint how ketamine changes brain networks, future patients with hard-to-treat depression could benefit from more targeted therapies that provide rapid relief.

Key takeaways

Researchers at Oxford are testing how ketamine affects learning, memory, and emotional choices in the brain.
The trial is open to healthy adults aged 18 and older with no personal or family history of severe mental illness.
Participants receive one dose of either ketamine or a salt-water placebo through a vein, followed by an MRI scan the next day.
There is no direct health benefit to volunteers, but taking part helps improve future treatments for depression.
You must follow safety rules, such as avoiding alcohol before visits and not driving until the morning after your infusion.

Who may be eligible?

This study is open to healthy adults aged 18 and older who have a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 30. You must be fluent in English so that you can understand the study tasks and give informed consent. You will also need to agree to some temporary lifestyle rules, including avoiding alcohol for three days before your treatment visit and resting without driving or cycling until the morning after your infusion.

Because this study looks at healthy brain function, you cannot take part if you have ever had a significant mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, or bipolar disorder. You also cannot join if you have a close family member (such as a parent, brother, or sister) who has experienced psychosis or bipolar disorder, or if you have a history of drug or alcohol dependence.

Finally, you must be in good physical health. You cannot join if you have high blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, eye conditions like glaucoma, or a history of seizures or brain injuries. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are also not able to take part.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

I am aged 18 or older.
My BMI is between 18 and 30.
I have no personal history of depression, anxiety, psychosis, or addiction.
No immediate family member (parent or sibling) has had bipolar disorder or psychosis.
I do not have heart rhythm problems, high blood pressure, or neurological conditions.
I am not pregnant or breastfeeding.

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

Taking part involves several stages over a few visits at the University of Oxford. First, you will attend a screening visit to check your general health, heart, and mental wellbeing through questions, blood pressure checks, and urine tests. If you are eligible, you will attend an infusion visit where you receive either a single dose of ketamine or a harmless salt-water dummy (placebo) through a small tube in your vein. Neither you nor the study team will choose which one you receive. You will complete memory and decision-making tasks on a computer before and after this dose. The following day, you will return for an MRI scan, which takes detailed pictures of your brain while you do simple tasks. The study team will provide 24-hour on-call support if you have any questions or worries after your visits.

Potential risks and benefits

There are no direct medical benefits to you from taking part, but your time will help researchers better understand mental health treatments. Ketamine can cause temporary side effects such as feeling lightheaded, sleepy, spaced out, or slightly sick, though these effects fade quickly once the drip stops. MRI scans are safe and painless, but the scanner can be noisy and feels enclosed. You will be monitored closely by medical professionals at all times. Taking part is completely voluntary, and you are free to leave the study at any time without giving a reason.

Locations (1)

University of Oxford
Approximate
Oxford, England

Common questions

Will I definitely receive ketamine?

Not necessarily. This is a randomised study, meaning half of the volunteers receive a single dose of ketamine and the other half receive a dummy salt-water drip (placebo).

Is the MRI brain scan painful?

No, MRI scans do not hurt at all. The scanner can be quite loud and feels like a narrow tunnel, but you will be given earplugs and can speak to the team throughout the scan.

Can I drive home after receiving the study medication?

No. Because ketamine can make you feel drowsy or unsteady, you must not drive, cycle, or operate machinery until the following morning after a full night's sleep.

Will I be paid for taking part?

Healthy volunteer studies usually offer compensation for your time and travel expenses. The study team will explain the exact details before you agree to join.

What happens if I feel unwell during the trial?

You will be supervised by trained medical staff during your visits, and the team provides a 24-hour telephone number to support you once you go home.

How to find out more

Catherine Harmer

catherine.harmer@psych.ox.ac.uk +44 (0)1865 618326 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.