A study that will examine the efficacy of ketamine as a treatment for alcoholism is looking for volunteers.
The Medical Research Council (MRC)-funded study aims to evaluate the use of the drug for severe alcohol disorder and is looking for 96 recently abstinent volunteers.
Professor Celia Morgan, Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter, is leading the research that also involves University College London and Imperial College London.
She said it is being undertaken because mice studies have suggested that ketamine can produce changes in the brain that make it easier to make new connections and learn new things in the short-term.
Participants in the ‘KARE’ (Ketamine for Reduction of Alcoholic Relapse) study will receive a low-dose of ketamine by injection once a week for three weeks, as well as seven 90-minute sessions of psychological therapy. A control group will receive the same amount of therapy but be given an injection of saline solution.
All participants will be asked to wear an ankle device that will monitor their alcohol intake over the following six months.
A pilot study found that three doses of ketamine, delivered with psychological therapy, reduced average 12-month relapse rates from 76% to 34%. It is thought that ketamine’s antidepressant properties are a major factor.
Prof Morgan said “Previous research has told us that ketamine is a well-tolerated drug and can help alleviate the symptoms of depression, with a pilot study suggesting that it could cut alcohol relapse rates by more than half.
“This trial will allow us to examine whether ketamine, combined with therapy, can indeed help people stay abstinent from alcohol”.
Dr Kathryn Adcock, head of neurosciences and mental health at the MRC, added: “Alcoholism can have a terrible impact on both the individual and those around them, but current treatments for alcohol dependence are associated with high relapse rates – with people often return to drinking after only a short time of abstinence.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to help change this pattern and we look forward to the results of this innovative trial.”
To find out more about KARE, visit www.psychology.exeter.ac.uk/kare/
Leave a Reply