Can music enhance ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy in treatment-resistant depression: A pilot study of clinical and electrophysiological outcomes

• Applicant: Mina Kheirkhah Rahimabadi, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ; Biophysics ; Experimental and Theoretical Network Neuroscience
• Term: from 2022 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 499724048

• Final Report Year: 2025

Final Report Abstract

This pilot study set out to explore whether music therapy could enhance the antidepressant effects of ketamine in individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Findings from the two phases of this study, which included a thorough review of existing literature and clinical trials, suggest that while music therapy may not directly enhance ketamine's antidepressant effects, it can play a valuable role in reducing dissociation and anxiety. Additionally, it influences brain frequency powers in specific regions associated with emotion regulation and cognitive engagement. Music therapy also promotes relaxation and lessens the need for sedatives during treatment. However, patient-specific factors play a key role in how individuals respond to the combined use of music and ketamine. Although no immediate commercial applications have emerged from the current research, the study's outcomes have the potential to inspire innovative therapeutic approaches for depression and TRD. Future studies could focus on the use of personalized music interventions, exploring how different genres or styles of music may influence treatment outcomes. Understanding the role of individual patient factors in shaping the response to music and ketamine will be crucial in refining these treatments. These findings offer exciting possibilities for enhancing mental health therapies through non-invasive, cost-effective strategies like music therapy.

Publications

• Exploring the impact of music on response to ketamine/esketamine: A scoping review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 162, 105693.
  Kheirkhah, Mina; Nugent, Allison C.; Livinski, Alicia A.; Neely, Lucinda; Johnson, Sara C.; Henter, Ioline D.; Varnosfaderani, Shahaboddin Dabaghi; Price, Rebecca B.; Hejazi, Nadia; Yavi, Mani; Jamalabadi, Hamidreza; Javaheripour, Nooshin; Walter, Martin & Zarate, Carlos A.
  
• Human brain classification of emotional stimuli: A scoping review protocol
  Kheirkhah Mina; Vogeley, Abigail O.; Livinski, Alicia A.; Varnosfaderani, Shahaboddin Dabaghi; Javaheripour, Nooshin; Jamalabadi H., Kotoula, Vasileia; Nugent, Allison C.; Yavi, Mani; Walter, Martin & Zarate, Jr. Carlos A.
  
• The effect of music on response to ketamine: A scoping review protocol.
  Kheirkhah Mina; Nugent, Allison C.; Livinski, Alicia A.; Neely, Lucinda; Johnson, Sara C.; Varnosfaderani, Shahaboddin Dabaghi; Yavi, Mani; Price, Rebecca B;, Jamalabadi, Hamidreza; Walter, Martin & Zarate, Jr. Carlos A.
  
• Temporal dynamics of affective scene processing in the healthy adult human brain. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 169, 106003.
  Vogeley, Abigail O.; Livinski, Alicia A.; Varnosfaderani, Shahaboddin Dabaghi; Javaheripour, Nooshin; Jamalabadi, Hamidreza; Kotoula, Vasileia; Henter, Ioline D.; Hejazi, Nadia S.; Price, Rebecca B.; Yavi, Mani; Walter, Martin; Zarate, Jr Carlos A. & Kheirkhah, Mina