What side effects are associated with this type of intervention?

Common treatments for OCD include SSRIs, antipsychotics, and glutamatergic agents. SSRIs can cause side effects such as nausea, insomnia, and sexual dysfunction. Antipsychotics, often used as augmentation, may lead to weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and extrapyramidal symptoms. Glutamatergic agents, like memantine and riluzole, can cause dizziness, headache, and gastrointestinal issues. Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, is being studied for its rapid improvement in OCD symptoms, but it can cause dissociation, increased blood pressure, and potential for abuse.

What prior FDA approvals exist?

The FDA has approved several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline. Clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, is also approved for OCD. While ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, is being studied for its rapid improvement in OCD symptoms, there are no current FDA approvals for NMDA receptor antagonists specifically for OCD treatment. The primary approved treatments remain SSRIs and clomipramine.

What other types of research exist?

Promising novel alternatives to Ketamine for OCD treatment include glutamate-modulating drugs and new targets for deep brain stimulation. These approaches focus on addressing glutamatergic dysfunction, which is implicated in the pathophysiology of OCD.

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NMDA Receptor Antagonist

Ketamine for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (MKET Trial)

Phase 2

Waitlist Available

Led By Carolyn I Rodriguez, MD, PhD

Research Sponsored by Stanford University

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

ages 18-65

capacity to provide informed consent

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up up to 6 months

Awards & highlights

Summary

This trial aims to understand how ketamine quickly improves symptoms in people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Ketamine works by blocking a specific brain receptor, which helps reduce repetitive thoughts and behaviors. Recent research demonstrated that ketamine rapidly reduces OCD symptoms. The study focuses on how this process happens at different levels in the brain.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for adults aged 18-65 with a primary diagnosis of OCD who can give informed consent. Participants should have severe enough OCD symptoms to warrant the study and be able to go without other treatments for a while.

What is being tested?

The study aims to understand how Ketamine, compared with Midazolam, can rapidly alleviate symptoms of OCD. Patients will receive one of these drugs and their effects on OCD improvement will be closely monitored.

What are the potential side effects?

Ketamine may cause side effects like disorientation, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, or increased blood pressure. Midazolam might lead to sleepiness, memory issues or coordination problems.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

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I am between 18 and 65 years old.

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I understand and can agree to the study's procedures and risks.

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My primary diagnosis is OCD.

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I am between 18 and 65 years old.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ up to 6 months

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~up to 6 months

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to 6 months for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

improvement in the severity of OCD symptoms as measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS)

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: KetamineExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

OCD patients in this arm will receive 0.5mg/kg of ketamine - one single infusion

Group II: MidazolamActive Control1 Intervention

OCD patients in this arm will receive 0.045mg/kg of midazolam - one single infusion

Treatment

First Studied

Drug Approval Stage

How many patients have taken this drug

Ketamine

2011

Completed Phase 4

~1120

0 / 4Eligibility criteria met

Research Highlights

Information in this section is not a recommendation. We encourage patients to speak with their healthcare team when evaluating any treatment decision.

Mechanism Of Action

Side Effect Profile

Prior Approvals

Other Research

The most common treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) include serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). SRIs, such as fluoxetine and clomipramine, work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, which helps reduce OCD symptoms. CBT, particularly exposure and response prevention (ERP), helps patients confront and manage their obsessions and compulsions. Emerging treatments like ketamine, which acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist, show promise by modulating glutamate neurotransmission and enhancing activity in fronto-striatal circuits. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for OCD patients as it provides insight into how different treatments can alleviate symptoms, offering hope for more effective and rapid relief.

Ketamine increases activity of a fronto-striatal projection that regulates compulsive behavior in SAPAP3 knockout mice.New treatment models for compulsive disorders.Emerging drugs to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Stanford UniversityLead Sponsor

2,448 Previous Clinical Trials

17,492,274 Total Patients Enrolled

15 Trials studying Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

1,283 Patients Enrolled for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

University of ConnecticutOTHER

188 Previous Clinical Trials

160,201 Total Patients Enrolled

Carolyn I Rodriguez, MD, PhDPrincipal InvestigatorStanford University

3 Previous Clinical Trials

34 Total Patients Enrolled

1 Trials studying Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

7 Patients Enrolled for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

~9 spots leftby Jun 2025

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