A comparison of the antianhedonic effects of repeated ketamine infusions in melancholic and non-melancholic depression

Objectives Melancholic depression may respond differently to certain treatments. The aim of this study was to compare the antianhedonic effects of six intravenous injections of 0.5 mg/kg ketamine in patients with melancholic and non-melancholic depression, which remain largely unknown. Methods Individuals experiencing melancholic (n = 30) and non-melancholic (n = 105) depression were recruited and assessed for anhedonic symptoms using the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The presence of melancholic depression was measured with the depression scale items at baseline based on DSM-5 criteria. Results A total of 30 (22.2%) patients with depression fulfilled the DSM-5 criteria for melancholic depression. Patients with melancholic depression had a non-significant lower antianhedonic response (43.3 vs. 50.5%, t = 0.5, p > 0.05) and remission (20.0 vs. 21.0%, t = 0.01, p > 0.05) to repeated-dose ketamine infusions than those with non-melancholic depression. The melancholic group had significantly lower MADRS anhedonia subscale scores than the non-melancholic group at day 26 (p < 0.05). Conclusion After six ketamine infusions, the improvement of anhedonic symptoms was found in both patients with melancholic and non-melancholic depression, and the efficacy was similar in both groups.