ORAL SESSION787. Xenon in Sub-Anesthetic Doses for Treatment of Major Depression: A Proof-of-Concept Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study
Section snippets
Background
We hypothesized that like ketamine, the general anesthetic and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist xenon (Xe) inhaled in sub-anesthetic doses may be an acting treatment for Major Depression Disorder (MDD).
Methods
In this randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, 30 patients manifesting moderate or severe MDD were randomly assigned to 10 daily 15 min inhalation session either of 25% Xe/30% oxygen/45% nitrogen (treatment group, n=15) or 70% nitrogen/30% oxygen (placebo control, n=15). The primary endpoints were the changes on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) scale.
Results
Each 15 min Xe treatment session was performed at a median inspiratory concentration of 17%, while a peak Xe concentration (at a median of 24%) was maintained for 5 min. The treatment was discontinued in 3 patients from the placebo and 1 patient from the Xe groups for emotional discomfort and claustrophobia. No adverse events occurred. The treatment response was indexed by marked decrease of negative affect. According to the 2-way ANOVA with Group (2: Xe, Placebo) as the between factor and TIME
Conclusions
Supporting our preliminary observation the findings provide the first placebo-controlled evidence that Xe devoid of ketamine’s toxicity sequelae may have marked antidepressant effects in patients with MDD.
Supported By
The Russian Science Foundation grant #16-15-00128 to Lyubomir Aftanas; The Russian Academy of Science Program 2015-2017 "Affective neuroscience" to Lyubomir Aftanas
Keywords
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Xenon, NMDA antagonists, Novel treatments