There is currently no published evidence demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of subanaesthetic doses of ketamine, when administered intravenously as an adjunct treatment for depressive symptoms, in a real world setting in South Africa. This retrospective chart review reports the clinical response (change in Patient Health Questionnaire - 7 score) to an initial infusion series of ketamine...
In stimulant use and addiction, conflict control processes are crucial for regulating substance use and sustaining abstinence, which can be particularly challenging in social-affective situations. Users of methamphetamine (METH, "Ice") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") both experience impulse control deficits, but display different social-affective and addictive profiles....
(R, S)- and (S)-ketamine have made significant progress in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and have become a research focus in recent years. However, they both have risks of psychomimetic effects, dissociative effects, and abuse liability, which limit their clinical use. Recent preclinical and clinical studies have shown that (R)-ketamine has a more efficient and lasting...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) occurs when at least two different antidepressants, taken at the right dosage, for adequate period of time and with continuity, fail to give positive clinical effects. Esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine, was recently approved for TRD treatment from U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicine Agency. Despite proved clinical efficacy, many...
Disrupted in schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) is a scaffolding protein whose mutated form has been linked to schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorders, and recurrent major depression. DISC1 regulates multiple signaling pathways involved in neurite outgrowth and cortical development and binds directly to glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Since ketamine activates GSK-3β, we examined the impact of...
Musical hallucination is a rare perceptual phenomenon wherein individuals hear music in the absence of external auditory stimuli. This phenomenon occurs across diverse medical conditions and can be triggered by some drugs. The underlying mechanism of drug-induced hallucination is unknown. This study explores drug-induced musical hallucination through a literature review, aiming to investigate...
Studies have shown major cardiovascular effects associated with ketamine use disorder including dose-dependent negative inotropic effects. Preoperative ketamine use has been linked to ketamine-induced stress cardiomyopathy. A 28-year-old female with a history of recurrent cystitis and ketamine use disorder (twice weekly for 14 years) presented with bilateral lower extremity oedema and shortness...
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is being investigated in controlled clinical trials for use as an adjunct medication treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. MDMA is metabolized by N-demethylation, primarily by CYP2D6, to its main inactive metabolite, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine. It is also metabolized to a lesser extent by CYP1A2, CYP2B6, and CYP3A4 to its active...
Frontiers in Psychiatry2024Jonathan Martin Flintoff, Suzy Alexander, James Paul Kesby et al.3 citations
Although schizophrenia is associated with a broad range of symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, and reduced motivation, measures of cognitive dysfunction, including cognitive flexibility and executive function, are the strongest predictors of functional outcomes. Antipsychotic medications are useful for reducing psychotic symptoms, but they are ineffective at improving cognitive...
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists are widely used to pharmacologically model schizophrenia and have been recently established in the treatment of treatment-resistant major depression demonstrating that the pharmacology of this substance class is complex. Cortical gamma oscillations, a rhythmic neuronal activity associated with cognitive processes, are increased in schizophrenia...