Open-label trial · 2025
Ketamine infusions and markers of biological aging in 20 people with depression or PTSD
- Original title
- Epigenetic aging and DNA methylation biomarker changes following ketamine treatment in patients with MDD and PTSD: a pilot study.
- Authors
- Dawson KL, Carangan AMJM, Klunder J, et al.
- Journal
- Translational psychiatry, 2025
- Molecules
- Ketamine
- Conditions
- Depression, PTSD, Treatment-resistant depression
- Participants
- 20
- Evidence grade
- Very low
- Source
- Read the original paper
The question
Does a course of ketamine infusions change chemical marks on DNA that are used to estimate a person’s “biological age”, in people with depression or PTSD?
What they did
Twenty people with major depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder received six ketamine infusions at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg. Blood samples were taken before treatment and after the course was complete. Researchers measured DNA methylation (chemical tags that sit on DNA and change with age and health), immune cell make-up, and several epigenetic “clocks” that estimate biological age. Symptoms were tracked with the PHQ-9 depression questionnaire and the PCL-5 PTSD checklist.
What they found
Depression and PTSD scores went down after the six infusions. Three epigenetic age estimates - OMICmAge, GrimAge V2 and PhenoAge - showed a reduction after treatment. Related blood-protein and biomarker proxies measured from DNA methylation also changed significantly. The abstract does not report the size of any of these changes in numbers.
The fine print
This was a pilot study of only 20 people with no comparison or placebo group, so changes cannot be attributed to ketamine itself rather than time, expectation or other factors. Epigenetic age is a laboratory estimate, not a measure of health, lifespan or how someone feels. No numerical results or follow-up beyond the end of treatment are given, and this summary is based on the abstract alone.
What it means
In a small uncontrolled pilot, symptoms improved and several DNA-based estimates of biological age shifted downward after a course of ketamine infusions. The findings are preliminary and would need a controlled trial before any conclusion about ketamine and aging can be drawn.
Evidence grade: Very low. A small open-label pilot in 20 people with no control or placebo group, using laboratory markers rather than long-term health outcomes.
This summary is based on the study’s published abstract.