Ketamine was shown to promote synaptogenesis, which is thought to account for its antidepressant effects through the restoration of lost synaptic connections observed in depression. PET imaging using 11C-UCB-J, a radiotracer targeting the synaptic vesicle protein 2 A (SV2A), was investigated as a translational method to monitor ketamine-induced changes in synaptic density in the corticosterone...
Serotonin (5-HT) receptors and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) have both been implicated in stress-induced psychiatric disorders. However, there is a paucity of studies evaluating the effectiveness of novel combinatorial pharmacological treatments to treat stress-related disorders. Here, we evaluated whether administration of combinatorial (R,S)-ketamine, an NMDAR antagonist and Food...
(R,S)-ketamine (ketamine) has rapid and sustained antidepressant (AD) efficacy at sub-anesthetic doses in depressed patients. A metabolite of ketamine, including (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine ((6)-HNKs) has been reported to exert antidepressant actions in rodent model of anxiety/depression. To further understand the specific role of ketamine's metabolism in the AD actions of the drug, we evaluated...
Unlike classic serotonergic antidepressant drugs, ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, exhibits a rapid and persistent antidepressant (AD) activity, at sub-anaesthetic doses in treatment-resistant depressed patients and in preclinical studies in rodents. The mechanisms mediating this activity are unclear. Here, we assessed the role of the brain serotonergic system in the AD-like activity of...
Background Stress exposure is one of the greatest risk factors for psychiatric illnesses like Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, not all individuals exposed to stress develop affective disorders. Stress resilience, the ability to experience stress without developing persistent psychopathology, varies from individual to individual. Enhancing...