Authors
Guan-Jie She, Wei-Chi Li, Chun-Hsiang Chou, Li-Kai Cheng, Tung-Ping Su, Cheng-Ta Li, Wei-Chen Lin, Pei-Chi Tu, Shih-Jen Tsai, Ya-Mei Bai, Mu-Hong Chen, Li-Fen Chen
Published in
Scientific reports. Volume 16. Issue 1. May 20, 2026. Epub May 20, 2026.
Abstract
Emerging evidence shows that ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, can produce rapid anti-suicidal effects in treatment-resistant depression, yet its underlying neuropharmacological mechanisms remain elusive. The present study aimed at investigating the therapeutic effect of ketamine infusion on suicidal ideation by examining hemodynamic response changes in resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) data. We analyzed data from clinical trials involving 45 patients with treatment-resistant depression, including either ketamine (N = 21) or midazolam (N = 24). T1-weighted images and rsfMRI data were collected before and three days after treatment. Three parameters, including response height (RH), time-to-peak (TTP), and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), were extracted. Results showed that ketamine significantly altered TTP and FWHM in the bilateral olfactory cortex and right inferior parietal gyrus. Changes in TTP and FWHM within the thalamus and superior frontal gyrus were associated with improvements in suicidal ideation. Additionally, ketamine responders exhibited reduced TTP in the left precuneus. These findings suggest that ketamine induces region-specific HRF modulations in brain regions implicated in sensory-cognitive integration, mood regulation, and cognitive control. This supports a broader model in which ketamine's neuropharmacological effects may be understood through the lens of neurovascular coupling dynamics.
PMID:
42162047
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Aug 2026.
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