An exploration of actigraphy in the context of ketamine and treatment-resistant depression

Objectives

This study explored the potential of non-parametric and complexity analysis metrics to detect changes in activity post-ketamine and their association with depressive symptomatology.

Methods

Individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD: n = 27, 16F, 35.9 ± 10.8 years) and healthy volunteers (HVs: n = 9, 4F, 36.4 ± 9.59 years) had their activity monitored during an inpatient, double-blind, crossover study where they received an infusion of ketamine or saline placebo. All participants were 18–65 years old, medication-free, and had a MADRS score ≥20. Non-parametric metrics averaged over each study day, metrics derived from complexity analysis, and traditionally calculated non-parametric metrics averaged over two weeks were calculated from the actigraphy time series. A separate analysis was conducted for a subsample (n = 17) to assess the utility of these metrics in a hospital setting.

Results

In HVs, lower intradaily variability was observed within daily rest/activity patterns post-ketamine versus post-placebo (F = 5.16(1,15), p = 0.04). No other significant effects of drug or drug-by-time or correlations between depressive symptomatology and activity were detected.

Conclusions

Weak associations between non-parametric variables and ketamine were found but were not consistent across actigraphy measures.

Clinical Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00088699.