Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
August 18, 2026
Mario Pinzi, Alessandro Cuomo, Maria Beatrice Rescalli et al.
INTRODUCTION: Acute suicidal ideation in major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric emergency requiring rapid risk assessment, containment, and treatment. Conventional monoaminergic antidepressants have delayed onset, leaving an interval during which severe depressive distress persists. Intranasal esketamine, a rapid-acting N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is approved for MDD...
Psychiatry Research
August 1, 2026
Pietro Carmellini, Andrea Fagiolini, Mario Pinzi et al.
Intravenous ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant intervention that has shown promising effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, although evidence remains heterogeneous and less well established across diagnostic subtypes. Nevertheless, real-world data comparing diagnostic subtypes and sex-related differences remain limited. This observational study examined the...
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
April 24, 2026
Pietro Carmellini, Alessandro Cuomo, Maria Beatrice Rescalli et al.
Background/Objectives: Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains a leading cause of disability worldwide and exhibits substantial biological heterogeneity that is not adequately captured by current symptom-based diagnostic systems. While the classical monoamine hypothesis has historically guided antidepressant development, it does not fully account for variability in treatment response, delayed...
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
February 1, 2026
Alessandro Cuomo, Mario Pinzi, Andrea Fagiolini
Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains a leading global cause of disability, with substantial clinical and societal burden. Despite the wide availability of antidepressants, many patients experience inadequate response, partial remission, or treatment-resistant depression. Emerging pharmacological options beyond traditional monoaminergic agents have shown promise in phase 3 clinical trials,...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
2026
Alessandro Cuomo, Roger S McIntyre, Despoina Koukouna et al.
1 citation
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a major clinical challenge, and long-term real-world data on intranasal esketamine are limited. To describe long-term dosing patterns and clinical outcomes associated with intranasal esketamine in routine clinical practice. Single-center observational cohort study with descriptive analyses. We analyzed 45 patients with TRD treated with intranasal...
Journal of Affective Disorders
May 1, 2025
Alessandro Cuomo, Simone Pardossi, Giovanni Barillà et al.
7 citations
Ketamine's use in treating bipolar depression must account for risks, such as switching to manic episodes or worsening symptoms. This study examines ketamine's impact on depressive symptoms, focusing on 'inner tension,' 'sleep reduction,' and 'suicidal ideation' over four weeks in treatment-resistant bipolar disorder (TR-BD) patients. Fifty-nine patients with TR-BD were treated consecutively...
Molecular Psychiatry
January 14, 2025
Claudio Agnorelli, Alessandra Cinti, Giovanni Barillà et al.
8 citations
Ketamine, a dissociative compound, shows promise in treating mood disorders, including treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Despite its therapeutic potential, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying ketamine's effects are not fully understood. This study explored acute neurophysiological changes induced by subanesthetic doses of ketamine in BD patients with...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
December 5, 2024
Simone Pardossi, Andrea Fagiolini, Alessandro Cuomo
43 citations
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical for neuroplasticity, synaptic transmission, and neuronal survival. Studies have implicated it in the pathophysiology of depression, as its expression is significantly reduced in brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in patients with depression. Our narrative review focuses on the relationship between BDNF, ketamine, and...
Children (Basel, Switzerland)
June 29, 2024
Simone Pardossi, Andrea Fagiolini, Simona Scheggi et al.
12 citations
Treating depression in adolescents is a significant challenge, and major depressive disorder (MDD) with suicidal ideation and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are common and potentially devastating to optimal psychological and physical development in this age group. Suicide is among the leading causes of youth mortality, and TRD occurs in up to 40% of adolescents with MDD. TRD involves...