Antidepressant effect of ketamine requires opioid system activation
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update November 14, 2018 DOI: 10.1002/pu.30378 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Placebo-controlled study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants with treatment-resistant depression |
| Interventions | Naltrexone Ketamine |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key points | Naltrexone given before ketamine infusion blocked ketamine's antidepressant effects but not the dissociation it induced in people with treatment-resistant depression. The authors suggest that ketamine's antidepressant effect requires activation of the opioid system. |
Abstract
A placebo‐controlled study in which participants with treatment‐resistant depression received naltrexone prior to infusion of ketamine found that the opioid antagonist blocked ketamine's antidepressant effects but not the dissociation induced by ketamine. These findings suggest that the antidepressant effect of ketamine requires activation of the opioid system.