bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 10, 2026
Erdem Pulcu, Sara Costi, Pilar Artiach-Hortelano et al.
Abstract Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid-antidepressant properties when administered at a sub-anesthetic dose. Preclinical models indicate that a direct injection of ketamine into lateral habenula (Hb), a small midbrain structure with an evolutionarily preserved role in aversive learning across mammals, can rapidly relieve depression-like behavior. However, there is limited...
EBioMedicine
December 1, 2025
Kiranpreet Gill, Angharad N De Cates, Chantelle Wiseman et al.
Depression remains a global public health challenge, prompting interest in translational targets which allow for more effective and rapidly acting interventions. Nitrous oxide (N2O), an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist, has demonstrated potential as a rapid-acting antidepressant. This study synthesised existing data on the efficacy and safety of N2O in depressive disorders. We...
Brain : a journal of neurology
June 30, 2025
Sara Costi, Chloe Wigg, Erdem Pulcu et al.
3 citations
Ketamine's potential as a rapid-acting antidepressant was first identified in 2000, despite its long-standing use as an anesthetic agent. Clinically, ketamine alleviates depressive symptoms, including the difficult to treat symptom of anhedonia, within hours, with the effects of a single dose lasting for days. Since then, research has focused on uncovering the mechanisms underlying its rapid...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
March 1, 2025
Ella Williams, Ursule Taujanskaite, Sunjeev K. Kamboj et al.
There is an ongoing need to identify novel pharmacological agents for the effective treatment of depression. One emerging candidate, which has demonstrated rapid-acting antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant groups, is nitrous oxide (N2O)-a gas commonly used for sedation and pain management in clinical settings and with a range of pharmacological effects, including antagonism of NMDA...