Effects of Ketamine on Mentalizing and Metacognition in Healthy Volunteers

NCT05320991 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE4 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 70

Last updated 2022-04-18

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Antipsychotic medication shows generally good effect sizes when looking at reduction of positive psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as paranoia or delusion. However, social functioning often remains deficient in patients, meaning dopamine-receptor antagonists are not sufficient in treatment of people with schizophrenia.

A naturalistic video-based paradigm, named MASC has been used in the past to model over- and undermentalizing in patients with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, since deficits in mentalizing can be explained by either overinterpreting a social situation (e.g. paranoid thoughts about intentions of others towards self) or by lacking the skill to read intentions of others.

To find out whether experimental manipulation via a non-competetive N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist can induce difficulties with social cognition similar to those observed in people with schizophrenia, the investigators will conduct a RCT applying either ketamine or a placebo intravenously while participants are completing the above mentioned mentalizing task in the fMRI-scanner.

Conditions

  • Ketamine-Induced Psychotic Disorder
  • Social Cognition
  • Theory of Mind

Interventions

DRUG

Ketamine

Ketamine is applied with a Graseby 3500 intravenous infusion pump controlled by the STANPUMP software (Steven Shafer, M.D., Anesthesiology Service, PAVAMC 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto, USA). Target plasma levels are 100 ng/ml with an initial bolus administered as a 2 mg/ml solution.

DRUG

Nacl 0.9%

Saline solution will also be applied with the Graseby 3500 intravenous infusion pump controlled by the STANPUMP software (Steven Shafer, M.D., Anesthesiology Service, PAVAMC 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto, USA).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Hospital, Bonn

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
35 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-06-15
Primary Completion
2020-09-27
Completion
2020-09-27

Countries

  • Germany

Study Locations

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Entities

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05320991 on ClinicalTrials.gov