Scientists test if ketamine has antidepressant effects under anesthesia

Ketamine may retain parts of its biological action under general anesthesia while losing EEG signatures tied to antidepressant effects. A JAMA Psychiatry report by Stanford anesthesiologist Boris Heifets and colleagues used EEG data from multiple studies where participants received a 40 minute ketamine infusion with or without general anesthesia. The analysis found that ketamine plus anesthesia modulated low-frequency theta-band signatures linked to dissociation, but not high-frequency beta and gamma-band signatures associated with antidepressant effects. The findings suggest distinct mechanisms could be targeted to develop antidepressant therapies that avoid dissociation. France approved intravenous racemic ketamine for adults in severe suicidal crisis under a compassionate prescription framework, administered in hospitals with a psychiatrist’s prescription. The newsletter also surveys ongoing psychedelic policy and research developments across states, including expanded access bills and new proposals involving psilocybin and ibogaine, plus discussion of trip sitter or facilitator roles in clinical psychedelic trials.