Brain training boosts Ketamine's Mood-Lifting power?
NCT ID NCT06526078
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether short, computer-based cognitive training sessions can enhance or extend the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine or esketamine. Researchers will enroll 600 adults with depression who are already receiving ketamine treatment. Participants will do either real cognitive exercises or sham exercises via a web app for 15-20 minutes per session. The goal is to see if this approach can make depression treatment more efficient and widely accessible.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cognitive training exercises (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could make ketamine treatment for depression more effective and longer-lasting, helping people feel better faster.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study testing a new combination approach, so results may not be conclusive. The cognitive training is brief and self-administered, so adherence and real-world impact may vary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 600 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2024
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. be between the ages of 18 and 80 years 2. score ≥20 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) 3. per SCID-5-RV interview, meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for at least one of the following: Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder (I or II), Persistent Depressive Disorder, or Other Specified Depressive or Bipolar Disorder 4. exhibit treatment resistance, defined as: (a) failure to respond to ≥1 adequate trials of an evidence-based treatment for mood disorder \[per the Antidepressant Treatment History Form-Short Form Modified Score Sheet (ATHF-SF-Modified)\] and/or (b) failure to respond to ≥1 adequate mood stabilizer or other evidence-based treatment trials (for bipolar depression patients) and/or (c) a history of intolerance during attempted trials of evidence-based treatments for mood disorders and/or (d) failure to respond to ≥1 prior treatment trials (e.g., medication, psychotherapy) for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 5. be eligible and clinically enrolled for an upcoming ketamine or esketamine induction series at one of our study clinics according to that clinic's standard intake procedures 6. agree to maintain a stable schedule of concomitant psychiatric medications throughout the ketamine induction phase (minor adjustments to PRN meds and timing of meds are allowable), and for 4 weeks post-induction phase 7. possess a level of judgment and understanding sufficient to agree to all procedures required by the protocol and must sign an informed consent document 8. be willing and able to provide names and contact information for at least 1 additional emergency contact in the patient's proximal geographic area (in addition to the ketamine treatment team at the enrolling site) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of current/acute psychosis, mania, or dementia, or a diagnosis of developmental disorder with significant language and/or intellectual impairment (e.g., autism spectrum disorder) 2. Current/acute suicide risk with intent to act, defined as CSSRS past-week ideation score ≥ 4 among outpatients; patients engaged in residential or inpatient care at the time of enrollment need not meet this CSSRS score criterion, as their current/acute suicide risk is extremely low by virtue of the residential/inpatient, round-the-clock care they are already receiving at time of enrollment 3. Concern for dementia or significant cognitive decline, per interviewer observations and impressions during screening assessments 4. Current pregnancy 5. English reading level \<5th grade as per patient self-report Rationale: to ensure adequate reading comprehension for verbal ASAT/sham stimuli which are presented in English
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Show contact details
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Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Baylor College of Medicine
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, United States
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Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, a division of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGOakland, California, 94612, United States
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University of Illinois at Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
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