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Home/Research/Ketamine/Older Adults

Ketamine for Older Adults

21 papers and 7 clinical trials exploring ketamine as a treatment for older adults.

CompoundArylcyclohexylamine

Ketamine

A dissociative anesthetic with rapid-acting antidepressant properties, widely used in clinical settings for mood and pain disorders.

Full Ketamine profile
IndicationApproximately 300 million adults worldwide struggle with depression, many of whom are older adults.

Older Adults

Psychedelic research involving older adults is gaining traction, highlighting the potential therapeutic benefits of compounds such as psilocybin and MDMA. Recent studies suggest promising safety profiles and efficacy, paving the way for future clinical applications in this demographic.

Full Older Adults profile

Academic Research

21 papers
Open Accessindividual

Age moderates the relationship between psychedelics use and mental health in naturalistic settings

This cross-sectional survey (n=1,088) found that age significantly moderates the relationship between lifetime psychedelic use and mental health, with classic psychedelics such as psilocybin being associated with lower depression and anxiety in younger adults, but these benefits diminish with age and even reverse for anxiety in older participants.

Published
March 10, 2026
Journal
Research Square
Authors
Gregorio, G. D., Basset, S., Manmohan, H., Nixon, W. C., Pogaku, A., Zhou, J., Sanderson, D. J., Lengieza, M. L., Bocchio, M.
Open Accessindividual

Efficacy and Safety of the Neuroplastogen TSND-201 for the Treatment of PTSD A Randomized Clinical Trial

In a multicentre, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled phase 2 trial of 65 adults with chronic PTSD, once‑weekly oral TSND‑201 produced significantly greater reductions in clinician‑rated PTSD severity (CAPS‑5; LS mean difference 9.64, P = .01) and improvements in self‑reported symptoms, functioning and depression versus placebo. TSND‑201 was generally well tolerated — common adverse events included headache, decreased appetite, nausea, dizziness and transient blood‑pressure increases — supporting its potential as a rapid‑acting, durable treatment for PTSD.

Published
February 18, 2026
Journal
JAMA Psychiatry
Authors
Jones, A., Warner-Schmidt, J., Kwak, H., Stogniew, M., Mandell, B., Ching, T. H., Stein, M. B., Kelmendi, B.
Open Accessmeta

Control Group Outcomes in Trials of Psilocybin, SSRIs, or Esketamine for Depression: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis of 17 trials found that control-group participants in psilocybin depression trials showed markedly smaller improvements (SMC ≈ 0.50) on the MADRS than control participants in SSRI (SMC ≈ 1.00) or esketamine (SMC ≈ 1.12) trials. The authors conclude this disparity may indicate that psilocybin’s antidepressant efficacy is overestimated relative to SSRIs and esketamine, possibly because of functional unblinding and expectancy effects.

Published
July 30, 2025
Journal
JAMA Network Open
Authors
Hieronymus, F., López, E., Sjögren, H. W., Lundberg, J.
Paywallindividual

Esketamine nasal spray versus quetiapine XR in adults with treatment-resistant depression: a secondary analysis of the ESCAPE-TRD randomized clinical trial

In a secondary analysis of ESCAPE-TRD (n=636), esketamine nasal spray plus an oral antidepressant, dosed according to US prescribing information, produced significantly higher remission rates from week 8 to week 32 and greater, earlier reductions in MADRS scores (from day 8) than quetiapine XR, with fewer discontinuations due to adverse events.

Published
January 17, 2025
Journal
CNS Spectrums
Authors
McIntyre, R. S., Mattingly, G., Godinov, Y., Buyze, J., Turkoz, I., Cabrera, P., Patel, M., Martinez, L., Himedan, M., Lopena, O.
Open Accessindividual

Ketamine for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: Double-blind active-controlled crossover study

In a randomised double‑blind active‑controlled crossover study of 12 patients with severe treatment‑resistant OCD, intramuscular racemic ketamine (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) produced greater, dose‑related reductions in Y‑BOCS scores than IM fentanyl that were maximal at 1–2 hours and showed separation out to 168 hours. Ketamine was associated with short‑term dissociative and cardiovascular effects and two dropouts for poor tolerability, and the authors conclude IM ketamine shows preliminary efficacy but requires further work to define optimal dosing and longer‑term use.

Published
November 28, 2024
Journal
Journal of Psychopharmacology
Authors
Beaglehole, B., Glue, P., Neehoff, S., Shadli, S., Mcnaughton, N., Kimber, B., Muirhead, C., De Bie, A., Day-Brown, R., Hughes-Medlicott, N. J.
Open Accessindividual

Ketamine treatment effects on DNA methylation and Epigenetic Biomarkers of aging

This preprint open-label study (n=20) examines the effects of ketamine infusions (35mg/70kg, 6x) on biological ageing markers in individuals with depression (MDD) or PTSD. It finds reductions in epigenetic age as measured by OMICmAge, GrimAge V2, and PhenoAge biomarkers, as well as significant changes in Epigenetic Biomarker Proxies (EBPs) and surrogate protein markers following a 2-3 week treatment course. The study also reports expected decreases in depression and PTSD scores as measured by PHQ-9 and PCL-5.

Published
September 11, 2024
Journal
MedRvix
Authors
Dawson, K., May, A., Carangan, J. M., Klunder, J., Carreras-Gallo, N., Sehgal, R., Megilligan, S., Askins, B. C., Perkins, N., Mendez, T. L., Smith, R., Dawson, M., Mallin, M., Higgins-Chen, A. T., Dwaraka, V. B.

Clinical Trials

7 trials
Active not recruitingPhase II

Single-dose Ketamine Treatment to Improve Depression in Mild Cognitive Impairment

This open-label trial (n=15) will assess the safety and tolerability of a single sub-anesthetic (0.5 mg/kg) intravenous ketamine treatment in individuals aged 50–90 with mild cognitive impairment and depression (MCI-D).

Started
October 18, 2023
Type
interventional
Blinding
none
Randomized
No
Registry ID
NCT06069843
WithdrawnPhase IV

Preoperative Ketamine and Perioperative Depression

Randomised, double‑blind, parallel pilot study (n=40 planned) comparing a single preoperative IV ketamine infusion (0.5 mg/kg over 40 min) versus midazolam (0.045 mg/kg) to improve perioperative depressive symptoms in surgical patients with a history of MDD.

Started
January 3, 2021
Type
interventional
Blinding
double
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT04220125
CompletedPhase IV

Ketamine for Older Adults Pilot

This pilot completed single-group study (n=25) assessed safety and feasibility of IV ketamine (0.5 mg/kg infused over 40 minutes) in older adults with treatment-resistant depression, with twice-weekly infusions for 4 weeks and optional weekly continuation for responders.

Started
October 22, 2020
Type
interventional
Blinding
none
Randomized
No
Registry ID
NCT04504175
RecruitingPhase II

Pilot study evaluating the efficacy of subcutaneous ketamine for the treatment of depression in the elderly

This open-label trial (n=24) investigates the efficacy of subcutaneous ketamine (21-42mg/70kg) for treating depression (MDD) in elderly patients.

Started
September 24, 2018
Type
interventional
Blinding
none
Randomized
No
Registry ID
ACTRN12617001130358
CompletedPhase NA

Effect of Ketamine in Depressive Symptoms of Elderly Patients With Visual Impairment

Randomised, double-blind, parallel trial (n=90) testing a single 0.5 mg/kg IV ketamine infusion over 2 hours versus saline in patients aged ≥60 undergoing ophthalmologic surgery to assess depressive symptoms.

Started
April 15, 2018
Type
interventional
Blinding
quadruple
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT03473431
CompletedPhase III

Ketamine for Treatment Resistant Late-Life Depression

Randomized, quadruple-masked Bayesian adaptive dose-finding trial in 33 veterans with late-life treatment-resistant depression, comparing single-infusion IV ketamine 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 mg/kg with active-control midazolam 0.03 mg/kg.

Started
October 1, 2015
Type
interventional
Blinding
quadruple
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT02556606

Explore further

Search all Ketamine papers Search all Older Adults trials Full Ketamine profile Full Older Adults profile