Research Progress on NMDA Receptor Enhancement Drugs for the Treatment of Depressive Disorder.
Ruyun Liu, Ning Liu, Lin Ma, Yue Liu, Zhuo Huang, Xiaodong Peng, Chunlin Zhuang, Jianguo Niu, Jianqiang Yu, Juan Du
CNS Drugs December 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-024-01123-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Mental-health Depression-treatment Drug-development Brain-research |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Enhancing NMDAR functionality with positive allosteric modulators may be a novel and safer antidepressant strategy than NMDAR antagonists like ketamine. |
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mental illness with a complex etiology. Currently, many medications employed in clinical treatment exhibit limitations such as delayed onset of action and a high incidence of adverse reactions. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop antidepressants that exhibit enhanced efficacy and safety. The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), a distinctive glutamate-gated ion channel receptor, has been implicated in the onset and progression of depressive disorder, as evidenced by both preclinical and clinical research. The NMDAR antagonist, ketamine, exhibits rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, holding promise as a novel therapeutic approach for depressive disorder. However, its psychotomimetic impact and potential for addiction have restricted its widespread clinical application. Notably, over the past decade, studies have suggested that enhancing NMDAR functionality can produce antidepressant effects with improved safety, especially with the emergence of NMDAR-positive allosteric modulators (PAMs). We view this as a potential novel strategy for treating depression, forming the basis for the narrative review that follows.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets | 2012 | Review | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse | 2003 | Review | |
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 19
- mTOR-Dependent Synapse Formation Underlies the Rapid Antidepressant Effects of NMDA Antagonists Science August 19, 2010
- Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets Science October 4, 2012
- Mechanisms of Ketamine Action as an Antidepressant Molecular Psychiatry March 13, 2018
- Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine Adjunctive to Oral Antidepressant Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression JAMA Psychiatry December 27, 2017
- Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation American Journal of Psychiatry March 17, 2021
and 14 more in the library