A pivot from synaptic monoamine processes to further downstream processes: The impact of ketamine research.
Brittany Carnley Steelman
Perspectives In Psychiatric Care April 2019 DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12317 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Topics | Depression Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Downstream signaling Rapid antidepressant effect |
| Key findings | Argues that ketamine's rapid antidepressant effect involves downstream signal transduction linked to spontaneous transmissions associated with its action at the NMDA receptor, and that better understanding of brain neuropathophysiology may offer symptom relief for affective illness refractory to current treatment, given that only about one-third of treated depression patients achieve complete remission. |
Abstract
Currently only one-third of patients treated for depression enjoy complete remission of their negative symptoms. This paper explores ketamine research as it applies to understanding and treating mood illnesses. Ketamine's rapid antidepressant effect implicates downstream signal transduction involving the spontaneous transmissions associated with ketamine's action at the NMDA receptor. Better understanding of brain neuropathophysiology offers hope for symptom relief to those living with affective illness refractory to currently available medical management.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Ketamine: a paradigm shift for depression research and treatment | 2019 | Review | |
| Rapid‐acting antidepressant ketamine, its metabolites and other candidates: A historical overview and future perspective | 2019 | Review | |
| Ketamine: A tale of two enantiomers | 2020 | Review | |
| Molecular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant actions of arketamine: beyond the NMDA receptor | 2021 | Review |