Attenuation of antidepressant and antisuicidal effects of ketamine by opioid receptor antagonism

Mol Psychiatry. 2019 Dec;24(12):1779-1786. doi: 10.1038/s41380-019-0503-4. Epub 2019 Aug 29.

Abstract

We recently reported that naltrexone blocks antidepressant effects of ketamine in humans, indicating that antidepressant effects of ketamine require opioid receptor activation. However, it is unknown if opioid receptors are also involved in ketamine's antisuicidality effects. Here, in a secondary analysis of our recent clinical trial, we test whether naltrexone attenuates antisuicidality effects of ketamine. Participants were pretreated with naltrexone or placebo prior to intravenous ketamine in a double-blinded crossover design. Suicidality was measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale item 3, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale item 10, and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. In the 12 participants who completed naltrexone and placebo conditions, naltrexone attenuated the antisuicidality effects of ketamine on all three suicidality scales/subscales (linear mixed model, fixed pretreatment effect, p < 0.01). Results indicate that opioid receptor activation plays a significant role in the antisuicidality effects of ketamine.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cross-Over Studies
  • Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant / drug therapy
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ketamine* / metabolism
  • Ketamine* / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Naltrexone / pharmacology
  • Narcotic Antagonists* / metabolism
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Receptors, Opioid* / metabolism
  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Suicide / psychology
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
  • Ketamine
  • Naltrexone
  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • Receptors, Opioid