Samuel Wilkinson, MD
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
I have research interests in treatment-resistant depression, including ketamine, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). I have an interest in the potential therapeutic as well as adverse effects of cannabinoids.
Extensive Research Description
1. I have an interest in improving access to and dissemination of preventive measures and evidence-based therapies for depression and other mood disorders. In particular, I am interested in improving the quality and safety of and access to evidenced-based therapies for severe and treatment-resistant depression, which accounts for a disproportionate fraction of the morbidity associated with depression generally. Some of my work thus far relates to the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is the most-effective treatment for severe depression. In particular, I have focused on developing and testing relapse prevention strategies that are scalable and would improve the quality and dissemination of these treatments. In this context, I am also interested in partnering with patient stakeholders to design studies that will be of most benefit clinically to patients (patient-centered outcomes research).
2. A promising treatment for severe depression is the intravenous use of sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine. Yet high rates of relapse following treatment precludes broader dissemination of a potentially powerful intervention for patients. My current work examines the potential of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a relapse prevention strategy following ketamine. This is based on the hypothesis that there is a period of enhanced neuroplasticity following ketamine exposure that may present an opportune time for cognitive and behavioral interventions to harness this enhanced neuroplasticity. The combination of CBT following ketamine may improve longer-term outcomes while at the same time limiting indefinite exposure to ketamine, which is of potential concern. I am also interested in the way that community practitioners and academic sites have adopted ketamine as an off-label treatment for mood disorders and in the development of reasonable practice standards for this emerging treatment which should engender both hope but also caution as it is implemented.
3. Finally, an early research interest was in the rapidly changing legal status of cannabis, including its approval as “medicine” on a state-level despite little evidence examining efficacy or safety in many conditions. One of my works showed that marijuana use was associated with worse outcomes among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), despite the fact that PTSD is an “approved indication” for medical marijuana in many states.
Coauthors
Selected Publications
- Marijuana use is associated with worse outcomes in symptom severity and violent behavior in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.Wilkinson ST, Stefanovics E, Rosenheck RA. Marijuana use is associated with worse outcomes in symptom severity and violent behavior in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry 2015, 76: 1174-80. PMID: 26455669, PMCID: PMC6258013, DOI: 10.4088/JCP.14m09475.
- Problems with the medicalization of marijuana.Wilkinson ST, D'Souza DC. Problems with the medicalization of marijuana. JAMA 2014, 311: 2377-8. PMID: 24845238, PMCID: PMC6248328, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2014.6175.
- Computer-Assisted Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Prevent Relapse Following Electroconvulsive Therapy.Wilkinson ST, Ostroff RB, Sanacora G. Computer-Assisted Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Prevent Relapse Following Electroconvulsive Therapy. The Journal Of ECT 2017, 33: 52-57. PMID: 27564424, PMCID: PMC5315599, DOI: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000000348.
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy May Sustain Antidepressant Effects of Intravenous Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression.Wilkinson ST, Wright D, Fasula MK, Fenton L, Griepp M, Ostroff RB, Sanacora G. Cognitive Behavior Therapy May Sustain Antidepressant Effects of Intravenous Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression. Psychotherapy And Psychosomatics 2017, 86: 162-167. PMID: 28490030, PMCID: PMC5516265, DOI: 10.1159/000457960.
- Hippocampal volume changes following electroconvulsive therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Wilkinson ST, Sanacora G, Bloch MH. Hippocampal volume changes following electroconvulsive therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biological Psychiatry : Cognitive Neuroscience And Neuroimaging 2017, 2: 327-335. PMID: 28989984, PMCID: PMC5627663, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.01.011.
- A Survey of the Clinical, Off-Label Use of Ketamine as a Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders.Wilkinson ST, Toprak M, Turner MS, Levine SP, Katz RB, Sanacora G. A Survey of the Clinical, Off-Label Use of Ketamine as a Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders. The American Journal Of Psychiatry 2017, 174: 695-696. PMID: 28669202, PMCID: PMC5549850, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17020239.
- The Effect of a Single Dose of Intravenous Ketamine on Suicidal Ideation: A Systematic Review and Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.Wilkinson ST, Ballard ED, Bloch MH, Mathew SJ, Murrough JW, Feder A, Sos P, Wang G, Zarate CA, Sanacora G. The Effect of a Single Dose of Intravenous Ketamine on Suicidal Ideation: A Systematic Review and Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis. The American Journal Of Psychiatry 2018, 175: 150-158. PMID: 28969441, PMCID: PMC5794524, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17040472.
- Considerations on the Off-label Use of Ketamine as a Treatment for Mood Disorders.Wilkinson ST, Sanacora G. Considerations on the Off-label Use of Ketamine as a Treatment for Mood Disorders. JAMA 2017, 318: 793-794. PMID: 28806440, PMCID: PMC6248331, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2017.10697.
- Identifying Recipients of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Data From Privately Insured Americans.Wilkinson ST, Agbese E, Leslie DL, Rosenheck RA. Identifying Recipients of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Data From Privately Insured Americans. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.) 2018, 69: 542-548. PMID: 29385954, PMCID: PMC6248332, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.201700364.
- Acute and Longer-Term Outcomes Using Ketamine as a Clinical Treatment at the Yale Psychiatric Hospital.Wilkinson ST, Katz RB, Toprak M, Webler R, Ostroff RB, Sanacora G. Acute and Longer-Term Outcomes Using Ketamine as a Clinical Treatment at the Yale Psychiatric Hospital. The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry 2018, 79 PMID: 30063304, PMCID: PMC6296748, DOI: 10.4088/JCP.17m11731.
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial of intravenous ketamine as adjunctive therapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD).Fava M, Freeman MP, Flynn M, Judge H, Hoeppner BB, Cusin C, Ionescu DF, Mathew SJ, Chang LC, Iosifescu DV, Murrough J, Debattista C, Schatzberg AF, Trivedi MH, Jha MK, Sanacora G, Wilkinson ST, Papakostas GI. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial of intravenous ketamine as adjunctive therapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Molecular Psychiatry 2020, 25: 1592-1603. PMID: 30283029, PMCID: PMC6447473, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0256-5.
- Leveraging Neuroplasticity to Enhance Adaptive Learning: The Potential for Synergistic Somatic-Behavioral Treatment Combinations to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Depression.Wilkinson ST, Holtzheimer PE, Gao S, Kirwin DS, Price RB. Leveraging Neuroplasticity to Enhance Adaptive Learning: The Potential for Synergistic Somatic-Behavioral Treatment Combinations to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Depression. Biological Psychiatry 2019, 85: 454-465. PMID: 30528745, PMCID: PMC6380941, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.09.004.
Clinical Trials
Conditions | Study Title |
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Child Development & Autism; Diseases of the Nervous System; Genetics - Adult; Genetics - Pediatric; Mental Health & Behavioral Research | Genetic and molecular studies of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders |