Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: PAMELA MILENA DE LIMA SOUZA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : PAMELA MILENA DE LIMA SOUZA
DATE: 04/04/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: UFRN; Departamento de fisiologia e comportamento
TITLE:

 

Impacts of Ketamine Treatment on Sleep Quality and Cortisol Levels: An Integrated Approach to Clinical Response in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression

KEY WORDS:

Keywords: esketamine; non-classical psychedelic; psychotherapy; biomarker

PAGES: 25
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUBÁREA: Psicologia Fisiológica
SUMMARY:

Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has shown rapid antidepressant effects in patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain not fully understood. Among the potential mediators are sleep quality, since sleep disturbances are part of the depressive symptomatology and predictors of treatment resistance, and cortisol levels, the primary biomarker of depression, which are frequently altered in this population. In this context, the present study will investigate sleep quality and plasma cortisol levels in response to weekly treatment with esketamine (the "S" enantiomer of racemic ketamine), administered subcutaneously over eight weeks, with and without psychotherapeutic support (N = 46). Assessments will be conducted at three time points: baseline, week 4, and week 8. Data will be collected on sleep quality, using the Brazilian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-Br), depressive symptoms assessed by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), as well as plasma samples for cortisol quantification. It is hypothesized that esketamine treatment will improve sleep quality and regulate cortisol levels, with more pronounced effects in the group receiving psychotherapeutic support. Additionally, baseline levels of cortisol and sleep quality are suggested to act as predictors of clinical response, and their changes throughout the intervention as potential mediators of treatment outcomes in both groups. The findings of this study may contribute to a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms associated with clinical response to esketamine treatment, supporting the development of more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies for patients with treatment-resistant depression.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interna - 1644341 - ANA CAROLINA LUCHIARI
Interna - 1718518 - NICOLE LEITE GALVAO COELHO