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: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 499724048

Major depressive disorder is ranked as one of the leading causes of disability in the world. Among existing therapies for major depression, the antidepressant-dose ketamine has a high success rate and provides rapid-acting antidepressant efficacy for treatment-resistant MDD (TRD) and is sustained. Another approach to treating depression and MDD is to elicit brain emotional responses through a strong source of emotion, such as music. This study will investigate whether co-administration of music and antidepressant-dose ketamine improves treatment outcomes in patients with TRD.In addition, this study will examine whether music enhances the activation of emotion-related brain areas during ketamine treatment, examining whether ketamine enhances emotional response to music, and examining whether music increases functional connectivity between the parahippocampal and visual cortices during ketamine treatment, thus improving visual imagery.To the best of our knowledge, the objectives of this study have not been investigated before. Therefore, the results of this study might play an important role in improving the treatment of TRD and provide a clear path for studies in this area.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Dr. Carlos A. Zarate Jr