Studies investigate esketamine, a medication administered by infusion. This is the molecular structure of ketamine. © Zerbor/stock.adobe.com
Studies investigate esketamine, a medication administered by infusion. This is the molecular structure of ketamine.
Do positive expectations improve the effect of antidepressants?
About a third of people with depression do not respond to treatment with antidepressants. Previous patient experiences and expectations play an important role in the treatment outcome. This project will use imaging, among other techniques, to investigate which specific neural mechanisms are responsible for this and how certain areas of the brain work together to influence the efficacy of antidepressants (esketamine).
The effects of esketamine and treatment expectation on an acute depressive episode: a pharmacological fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) study
This project combines pharmacological fMRI with a fully balanced placebo design to investigate the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of positive treatment expectations in patients experiencing an acute depressive episode. It will also explore how these effects interact with the antidepressant effect of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist esketamine. Prefrontal and limbic networks and the reward system are of particular interest here.
Recommended reading:
Bitsch F, Berger P, Nagels A, Falkenberg I, Straube B (2018) The role of the right temporo-parietal junction in social decision-making. Hum Brain Mapp 39(7): 3072-85. PubMed
Kircher T, Arolt V, Jansen A, Pyka M, Reinhardt I, Kellermann T, Konrad C, Lueken U, Gloster AT, Gerlach AL, Ströhle A, Wittmann A, Pfleiderer B, Wittchen HU, Straube B (2013) Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on neural correlates of fear conditioning in panic disorder. Biol Psychiatry 73(1): 93-101. PubMed
Nagels A, Cabanis M, Oppel A, Kirner-Veselinovic A, Schales C, Kircher T (2018) S-Ketamine-Induced NMDA Receptor Blockade during Natural Speech Production and Its Implications for Formal Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia: A Pharmaco-fMRI Study. Neuropsychopharmacol 43(6): 1324-33. PubMed
In close cooperation with these projects
A06
Can positive thinking help us to age more healthily?
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Brassen
A07
How do positive expectations improve mood?
Prof. Dr. Erik M. Müller
Prof. Dr. Dominik M. Endres
A09
How is the effect of antidepressants influenced by treatment experiences?
Prof. Dr. Markus Wöhr
Prof. Dr. Rainer K.W. Schwarting
A15
Does anxiety intensify the discontinuation symptoms of antidepressants?
Prof. Dr. Yvonne Nestoriuc
Prof. Dr. Tilo Kircher
Project Lead
Prof. Dr. Tilo Kircher
Psychiatrist
PD Dr. Irina Falkenberg
Psychiatrist
Team
Laila Noor
Study Doctor
Alexandros Matsingos
Study Doctor
Cüneyt Yildiz
PhD Student, Psychologist