Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Rapid-Acting Antidepressants Ketamine and Scopolamine
Current Neuropharmacology March 10, 2016 Eric S. Wohleb, Danielle M. Gerhard, Alex Thomas et al. 148 citations
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common neuropsychiatric disease with limited treatment options that take weeks to work. Recent breakthroughs show that drugs like ketamine and scopolamine produce rapid and long-lasting antidepressant effects in MDD patients. Preclinical work in rodents indicates these effects arise from increased extracellular glutamate, elevated BDNF, activation of the mTORC1 cascade, and increased spine synapses in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Both drugs work through converging molecular and cellular mechanisms in the PFC, antagonizing inhibitory interneurons to disinhibit pyramidal neurons, boosting glutamate. Specific NMDA and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes on GABAergic interneurons are promising targets for new rapid-acting antidepressants.