Ketamine booster for shock therapy? new trial aims to lift depression and protect memory
NCT ID NCT07088380
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether adding a low dose of ketamine to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can better relieve depression and reduce memory problems in people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Thirty hospitalized adults will receive either ketamine or a placebo during three ECT sessions. Researchers will measure changes in depression symptoms, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety over four weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ketamine hydrochloride
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more effective and less mentally foggy way to treat severe depression that hasn't responded to other treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Ketamine can cause side effects like dizziness or dissociation, and the added benefit over ECT alone is not yet proven.
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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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
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 70 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: * Male and female subjects ages 18-70, * diagnosed with MDD (according to SCID5-CV interview) * treatment resistant (defined as at least 2 different antidepressant agents used without success), * ability to give informed consent, * adequacy of the score for anesthesia. Exclusion Criteria: * Chronic neurological diseases, * Intellectual disability * Contraindications to the electroconvulsive therapy (severe aortic valve stenosis, implantable cardiac defibrillators, uncontrolled hypertension, clinically significant respiratory, renal or hepatic disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, endocrine disorders, neuromuscular diseases, space occupying brain lesions, stroke in the last 6 months), * Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder or Substance Use Disorder or Substance Abuse history in the past year, * Pregnancy and lactation * Cardiovascular conditions, * Psychiatric Disorders, * Hepatic impairment, * Participants with a known hypersensitivity to ketamine or any of its excipients will be excluded from the study, * Participants with any contraindications to the use of ketamine, such as a history of severe cardiovascular conditions (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, significant arrhythmias), intracranial hypertension, or severe liver impairment, will also be excluded to prevent potential adverse events.
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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 places running it
1 site. 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
Locations
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IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele Turro
RECRUITINGMilan, 20127, Italy
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