Brain Sciences
April 30, 2026
Nathan R Luzum, Marcia H. Mccall, Charlotte Talley Boyd et al.
Background/Objectives: A sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine has shown promise in reducing craving, withdrawal symptoms, and use of drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, and opioids among individuals with substance use disorders. Ketamine’s therapeutic potential for tobacco use is unknown. Here, we investigated a single sub-anesthetic dose among adults with tobacco use disorder who were not interested in...
International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice
April 29, 2026
David Eckert, Siegfried Kasper
The treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a clinical challenge. Pharmacologically, several augmentation options exist. The aim of this study was to present a mechanistically informed and clinically oriented decision-making framework for the established strategies of lithium, quetiapine, and esketamine. We conducted a narrative, non-systematic review, performing a targeted...
BMC Psychiatry
April 26, 2026
Sergi López-rodríguez, Cinto Segalàs, Eva Real et al.
BACKGROUND: Patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) represent a severe subgroup with increased treatment resistance, greater functional impairment, and limited therapeutic options. Intranasal esketamine is a rapidly acting treatment for resistant depression, with emerging interest in potential anti-obsessional effects. However, prospective...
The pharmacogenomics journal
April 24, 2026
Daniël T Coerts, Sanne Y Smith-Apeldoorn, Jérôme C Oude Nijhuis et al.
Oral esketamine displays therapeutic potential for treatment-resistant depression. However, treatment is complicated by a low and variable bioavailability. Genetic polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes responsible for esketamine's metabolism may influence bioavailability. In a subsample of patients included in a placebo-controlled trial investigating repeated, low dose oral...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
April 24, 2026
Marco Colizzi, Elisa Morandin, Veronica Croccia et al.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been implicated as a potential predictor of ketamine response in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine, produces rapid antidepressant effects and offers improved safety and intranasal administration. To examine whether baseline IL-6 predicts treatment response to esketamine in individuals with TRD. Fourteen adults with TRD...
Scientific Reports
April 21, 2026
Rong Ding, Daojie Wang, Guoxin Wang et al.
Elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) patients face high risks of postoperative depression state, inadequately addressed by opioid-based analgesia. Esketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid antidepressant effects, offers potential benefits but lacks evidence in this population. This double-blind RCT enrolled 99 elderly (≥ 65 years) CRC resection patients, randomized to three postoperative...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
April 16, 2026
Minna Chang, Allan H. Young, Mario F Juruena
Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported impressive antidepressant effects of ketamine in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). While ketamine has been compared with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the gold standard treatment, the extent and durability of its antidepressant effects over longer periods remain unclear. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review...
Journal of Intensive Care Medicine
April 16, 2026
Vrutti Patel, Saurabh Sujanyal, Lekhya Raavi et al.
BackgroundKetamine has demonstrated efficacy in treatment-resistant depression, primarily in psychiatric or outpatient populations. Its use in ICU patients remains underexplored, with limited data beyond case reports and small series. This study evaluated the association between subanesthetic ketamine infusions and improvement in depressive symptoms and hemodynamic changes in ICU...
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
April 16, 2026
Maria Marmureanu, Mariana Valy Besoiu, Vlad Dionisie et al.
Background/Objective: A substantial proportion of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) does not respond adequately to first-line treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive-behavioral therapy. OCD has traditionally been conceptualized as a serotonergic disorder. However, emerging evidence suggests that glutamatergic dysfunction plays an important role....
Journal of Affective Disorders
April 15, 2026
Gia Han Le, Sabrina Wong, Danica E. Johnson et al.
4 citations
Ketamine and esketamine exhibit rapid antidepressant effects in persons with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and bipolar depression (TRBD). However, the synaptic mechanisms governing dose, frequency, and durability of response remain unclear. This review aims to evaluate the dosing parameters, including minimum dose and optimal dosing intervals, that reliably induce or maintain long-term...
Journal of Affective Disorders
April 15, 2026
Jen-Ping Chen, Chih-Wei Hsu, Yi-Ting Chen et al.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and esketamine are FDA-approved treatments for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), yet head-to-head comparative effectiveness data remain limited. Our study compared the effectiveness and safety profiles of rTMS versus esketamine in adults with TRD. This cohort study used target trial emulation with 1:1 propensity score matching on 50...
Transl Psychiatry
April 10, 2026
Ting-Hui Liu, Hong-Shiang Shen, Jheng-Yan Wu et al.
1 citation
Sustained effectiveness and safety of esketamine for major depressive disorder: a target trial simulation of real-world data.
Reviews on recent clinical trials
April 7, 2026
Ritika Saun, Aakriti Garg, Mohd Ashif Khan
Most of the Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients experience Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), wherein standard pharmaceutical and psychological interventions fail to provide adequate symptom relief. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of intranasal esketamine for rapid symptom relief in adults with TRD. The search strategy adhered to PRISMA...