The role of glutamate on the action of antidepressants.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry August 15, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.06.013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that glutamate plays an important role in the neurobiology and treatment of depression, with ketamine showing rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant patients and preclinical evidence suggesting glutamate receptor agents have antidepressant-like activity, possibly via neuron-glia communication. |
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common, chronic, recurrent mental illness that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Currently available antidepressants are known to affect the monoaminergic (e.g., serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) systems in the brain. Accumulating evidence suggests that the glutamatergic neurotransmission via the excitatory amino acid glutamate also plays an important role in the neurobiology and treatment of this disease. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant patients with MDD, suggesting the role of glutamate in the pathophysiology of treatment-resistant MDD. Furthermore, a number of preclinical studies demonstrated that the agents which act at glutamate receptors such as NMDA receptors, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) might have antidepressant-like activities in animal models of depression. In this article, the author reviews the role of glutamate in the neuron-glia communication induced by potential antidepressants.