Glutamate Emotion Memory Study (GEMS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does modulation of glutamate transmission in the brain using a sub-anaesthetic dose of ketamine affect autobiographical memory, emotional processing and decision-making in treatment-resistant depression?
IRAS ID
302265
Contact name
Sara Costi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / RGEA
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 29 days
Research summary
Clinical depression often involves a pessimistic view of things which have happened in the past and an impairment in the ability to experience pleasure or looking forward to things. Glutamate plays a role in learning and memory so we are interested in understanding how ketamine can affect how people with depression remember past negative and positive memories. A licensed drug called ketamine affects the levels of glutamate, a chemical messenger in the brain, and has been used as a treatment for depression which hasn’t got better with other types of medication.
We are conducting a study in depressed participants who did not improve with the standard antidepressant treatment to expand our understanding on how the modulation of glutamate levels in the brain influence the recall of maladaptive memory, the way people understand emotions and learn from rewards and punishments. Study participants will undergo medical and psychiatric health screening, questionnaires and computer tasks before and after the administration of the experimental medicinal product (a single infusion of ketamine or saline), and an MRI scan a day after administration of the drug/placebo. MRI is a type of brain scan that allows us to see how the brain responds during, for example, memories of things which have happened in the past. This project will help us understand the role of glutamate in depressionREC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0001
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion