A Study on the Rapid Antisuicidal Mechanism and Therapeutic Efficacy Prediction of Ketamine Based on Glu/GABA Metabolism in the Prefrontal-Limbic System Circuit

This non-randomised controlled interventional study (n=199) in China is evaluating the rapid anti-suicidal effects and mechanistic correlates of ketamine in adults aged 18 to 65 with major depressive disorder, with a focus on those with suicidal ideation. Participants are assigned to a major depressive disorder group without suicidal ideation (n=50, no intervention) or a major depressive disorder group with suicidal ideation (n=149) receiving intravenous ketamine. The trial is designed to investigate how ketamine influences glutamate/GABA metabolism within prefrontal-limbic circuit networks, and to identify neuroimaging markers associated with treatment response. The primary outcomes are neuroimaging-based and include comparisons between participants whose suicidal ideation decreases versus those whose ideation remains unchanged, imaging changes within the ketamine-treated group before and after treatment, and neuroimaging features that may predict ketamine’s anti-suicidal effect. Secondary outcomes assess correlations between neuroimaging features and individual symptom scores, including MADRS and HAMD ratings. The study is sponsored by Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, and is currently pending. No phase designation or ketamine dose has been provided.