Neuropharmacology
June 6, 2026
Devin P Hagarty, Adam Dawoud, Alfonso Brea Guerrero et al.
Ketamine, a non-competitive N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor antagonist, was approved for use with Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and is currently in clinical trials for treating substance use disorder (SUD), and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, ketamine is an addictive drug, and thus we need to better understand ketamine's mechanism of action in addiction to reliably assess the...
Alcohol Clin Exp Res
March 1, 2026
Sarah D Jennings, Ian Yates, Samantha K Saland et al.
Background: Effective pharmacotherapies for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are lacking, and factors such as sex, drinking patterns, and timing of treatment during the addiction cycle may influence treatment efficacy. Clinical studies suggest that ketamine may be effective in AUD; however, preclinical findings have been inconclusive, likely due to varying rodent strains, intake protocols, and...
eNeuro
March 1, 2025
Sarah D Jennings, Devin P Hagarty, Jordan Logue et al.
1 citation
While ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, is effective in treating major depression, studies have not addressed the safety of repeated ketamine infusions in depressed patients with comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD). In this study, we aimed to determine whether a history of chronic social isolation and alcohol exposure alter the reinforcing properties of ketamine in male and female rats....
Neuropharmacology
September 1, 2024
Devin P Hagarty, Adam Dawoud, Alfonso Brea Guerrero et al.
6 citations
Ketamine (KET), a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has rapid onset of antidepressant effects in Treatment-Resistant Depression patients and repeated infusions are required to sustain its antidepressant properties. However, KET is an addictive drug, and so more preclinical and clinical research is needed to assess the safety of recurring treatments in both sexes....
Physiology & Behavior
May 1, 2019
Kristofer J Schoepfer, Caroline E. Strong, Samantha K Saland et al.
Subanesthetic ketamine (KET) elicits rapid, robust, but transient antidepressant effects. KET's antidepressant actions can be augmented and maintained for a longer duration when repeatedly delivered. However, KET is recreationally abused, raising long-term treatment safety concerns. Women are more likely than men to seek treatment for depression, escalate from casual to compulsive drug use, and...
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
December 2018
Samantha K Saland, Mohamed Kabbaj
Recent work from our group and others has revealed a higher sensitivity of female rodents to the antidepressant-like effects of the N-methyl d-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine strongly influenced by circulating estrogen and progesterone levels. However, in the absence of any preclinical studies of pharmacokinetic sex differences using low-dose ketamine in rats, it is unclear whether the...
Neuropharmacology
March 2012
Joshua S Rodefer, Samantha K Saland, Samuel J Eckrich
A number of selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors have been demonstrated to improve learning in several rodent models of cognition. Given that schizophrenia is associated with impairments in frontal lobe-dependent cognitive functions (e.g., working memory and cognitive flexibility), we examined whether PDE inhibitors would attenuate cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia....