Depression and Memory Loss - How to Reverse Changes

Depression can erode our cognitive functioning, especially our memory and attention. Learn how IV Ketamine can not only improve your mental health, but also cognitive functioning in some patients.

Can Depression Worsen Your Memory?

Depression has a strong associations with impaired cognition in several areas:

• Immediate and delayed memory
• Attention
• Visuospatial/constructional abilities

Measures of intelligence can also be reduced by depression. Treating depression with various medications can help reduce these symptoms.

IV Ketamine can Enhance Cognitive Processing

IV Ketamine is known to have pro-cognitive effects beyond treating the depression itself. These improvements include:

• Composite fluid neurocognitive performance
• Working memory
• Processing speed
• Episodic memory
• Immediate memory and attention
• Language (semantic fluency)

Improvements in cognition have been reported in multiple studies in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Recently, researchers have further shown that patients whose depression improves have stable or improved cognitive function for at least 4 weeks after their last infusion. Cognitive behavioral therapy may further enhance these gains. The greater the improvement in depression, the greater the improvement in verbal learning, immediate memory and attention.

Ketamine's Pro-Cognitive Effects Extend Beyond Depression

Interestingly, even patients whose depression does not significantly improve can also have improvements in immediate and delayed memory. Improvements in cognition where not correlated to "how depressed" patients felt before treatment.

In fact, patients who did not experience improvements in depression were more likely to have greater improvements in language. Researchers note this may be because non-responders had lower semantic fluency at baseline. This is notable because it suggests that non-responders to ketamine may have lower baseline executive functioning or left temporal lobe dysfunction (also see here).

Ketamine is Consistently Safe

While there are short-term side effects from ketamine infusions (typically lasting less than 1 hour), multiple studies have demonstrated ketamine's safety. It is reassuring that multiple studies have demonstrated a lack of cognitive deterioration from ketamine therapy in the short term. This contrasts from cognitive deficits that may occur in recreational ketamine abusers. This is one of the many reasons to work with doctors that emphasize using the fewest number of ketamine treatments for therapeutic benefit. The fewer the exposures to ketamine, the lower the chances of these (rare) side effects.

Does Neuroplasticity Explain Ketamine's Pro-Cognitive Effects?

We don't know for sure how IV Ketamine helps our memory and attention. We think it may be related to these mechanisms:

• Neuroplasticity promoting changes in functional neural circuitry
• Improved inhibition control (also called emotional regulation)
• Changes in prefrontal cortex (PFC) connectivity

Is Ketamine Right for You?

The decision to pursue IV Ketamine therapy depends on many factors, including the holistic benefits of treating your mental health. You deserve to learn your treatment options for safe and rapid results. You should always speak with your doctors to learn about the risks and benefits of IV Ketamine therapy so you can make an informed decision. Learn more about the options for your depression by contacting Clarus Health today.