RELAKS: Study researching effects of Ketamine

This research study is looking to investigate the effects of ketamine, particularly how ketamine could affect people’s performance on decision making tasks involving learning and memory. There will be a total of 4 visits, including an infusion visit during which participants will be given either ketamine or a placebo. Research is being conducted by the University of Oxford.

You will receive £250 for taking part in the study and any reasonable travel expenses will also be covered.

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Haga clic aquí para participar
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Study for

Estudio dirigido a

Zielgrupper der Studie

Onderzoek voor:

Healthy adults aged 18-45

Sponsored by

Patrocinado por

Gesponsert von

Opdrachtgever:

University of Oxford

Participants

Participantes

Teilnehmenden

Deelnemers:

70

People

Personen

Participate by

Participar mediante

Abschlussdatum

Duur van onderzoek:

December 30, 2023

30.12.2023

30.12.2023

30.12.2023

What is expected of me? 

¿Qué se espera de mí?

Was wird von mir erwartet?

Wat wordt van mij verwacht?

The study will involve four research visits in total, three of these will take place at the Warneford Hopsital and one will take place at the John Radcliffe Hospital.  These will be spaced over 2-3 weeks. The stages will be:

  1. Information call (up to 30 minutes): a researcher will contact you by telephone to tell you more about the study, answer any questions you might have and, and go through a set of initial screening questions to check if you may be suitable to take part
  2. Screening call (up to 60 minutes): a researcher will go through the participant information sheet with you. If you are happy with the study details, you will be asked to complete and sign an informed consent form indicating your voluntary participation. The team will then ask you some detailed questions about your health, any medication you are taking, your mental health, and some questions to make sure that it would be safe for you to go in the MRI scanner.
  3. Screening visit (30-60 minutes): you will be asked to provide blood and urine samples, the team will measure your height and weight and take your blood pressure. Your heart function will be assessed using a test called an Electrocardiogram (ECG). You will also receive a physical exam, that will be performed by trained medical personnel.
  4. Online task (30-60 minutes): two days before the following visit you will complete an online task which must be completed on the two consecutive days prior to the infusion visit (e.g. if your visit is Monday then the task must be completed on Saturday and Sunday). The task involves choosing between two abstract shapes in a computer game in which you can win money in line with how well you do the task.
  5. Infusion visit (up to 5 hours): before the infusion, you will be asked to complete a computer task.  You will also be asked to complete questionnaires and give a urine and blood sample. You will then be randomly assigned to receive an infusion of either ketamine or saline.  The infusion will be administered intravenously - during the infusion you will be lying on a bed and medical personnel will be present in the clinic at all times. After the infusion you will be asked to complete a range of questionnaires and computerised tasks. Once the qualified personnel is satisfied that you are safe to leave, the team will book a taxi to take you home.
  6. Research visit 1 (up to 4 hours): the next day you will complete a computer task. After this you will be taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital for an MRI brain scan. During the scan you will be asked to lie still on a table inside a 7 Tesla MRI scanner. The scan will last up to 120 minutes. During the scan, we will ask you to complete some computer tasks. In one of these tasks you will receive electrical pain delivered to the back of your left hand. The painful stimuli will be delivered for a very brief duration (less than 1 second) and by a piece of research equipment that produces a low-level electrical output that can induce a moderate and brief pain sensation. The intensity of this pain sensation will be calibrated before the scanning session based on your personal pain sensitivity threshold to be acceptable to you.
  7. Research visit 2 (up to 2.5 hours): During this visit you will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires and cognitive tasks. One of these tasks will probe how you perform under challenging situations. During this task we will measure your heart rate, and take saliva samples to allow us to measure levels of cortisol and alpha amylase.
Contact our study team

What is the benefit for me?

¿En qué me beneficia?

Welchen Nutzen habe ich davon?

Wat is het voordeel voor mij?

It is hoped that the results from this research will help us to identify better measures for future studies in patients with major depression.

You will receive £250 for taking part in the study and any additional reasonable travel expenses will also be covered (e.g. train or bus tickets). Your performance in the learning and decision-making games will also affect your final reimbursement amount and potentially you can win an additional £50 based on your performance.

Who is the study for? 

¿A quién va dirigido el estudio?

Für wen ist die Studie geeignet?

Voor wie is het onderzoek bedoeld?

Participants must:

  • Be aged 18-45
  • Be willing and able to travel to the sites in Oxford for a total of 4 visits

Participants must not (for a full list of exclusion criteria please see the link below):

  • Have been diagnosed with any kind of psychological disorder (e.g., depression)
  • Have high blood pressure or a heart condition
  • Have taken any recreational drugs in the last 3 months, or ever have taken ketamine

Complete this questionnaire to take part.

Fülle diesen Fragebogen aus, um herauszufinden, ob Du berechtigt bist