Ketamine, traditionally known as an anesthetic agent, has garnered attention for its rapid acting antidepressant properties, particularly in patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD). The compound’s unique pharmacological profile primarily as an NMDA receptor antagonist has enabled its repositioning in psychiatric settings, where conventional antidepressants often fall short. This...
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain disorder that severely affects mobility and quality of life. This case report describes an 86-year-old man who has a long-standing history of CRPS-related back and leg pain. Traditional treatments, including opioids and duloxetine, did not improve his symptoms, and due to religious beliefs restricting specific interventions, standard...
Depression is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by persistent sadness, anhedonia, guilt, fatigue, and impaired concentration. Although pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy can be effective, their utility is limited by adverse effects and significant inter-individual variability. Non-pharmacological therapies from traditional medicine have emerged as promising adjuncts owing to...
(1) Background: Chronic pulmonary diseases (CPDs), such as COPD, asthma, and interstitial lung disease, are often accompanied by psychological distress and reduced quality of life. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs), including digital and virtual reality (VR) formats, have emerged as promising non-pharmacological approaches to improve symptom management and well-being. This systematic...
Abstract Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has been shown in early trials to reduce the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of PAT as a third-line treatment for major depressive disorder compared to standard of care (SOC). We used an individual-level, probabilistic simulation model that portrays representative US adults with TRD who...
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) affects approximately 280 million people globally, with current treatments showing significant limitations, including delayed onset of action, low remission rates, and troublesome side effects. Esmethadone (REL-1017, d-methadone) has emerged as a promising agent for MDD. This review examines esmethadone (REL-1017), a novel glutamatergic modulator functioning...
MindfulnessAugust 28, 2025Fang Fei Lyu, Vimala Ramoo, Ping Lei Chui et al.
Exercise has known benefits for bone, physical, and mental health. This study aimed to determine the effects of a tailored mindful exercise program on back pain, balance, kinesiophobia, mindfulness, anxiety, and depression in older patients with primary osteoporosis. A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in a hospital setting in Kunming, China. Eligible patients were...
Esketamine has been shown to produce a major antidepressant response in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). We evaluated the factors associated with achieving remission in these individuals. The study was carried out across four psychiatry departments in Madrid, Spain. Patients aged over 18 years were included if they received esketamine as an augmentation treatment for TRD....
ABSTRACT Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing condition with a high mortality rate. While medications such as methadone are valuable first-line therapies, retention is poor, with the highest dropout rates early in a treatment attempt. Poor outcomes are due in part to the very high rates of co-morbid depression in people with OUD, as depression can drive opioid use....
Pre- and probiotics promote a diverse and functional gut microbiota and have demonstrated both anxiolytic and antidepressant effects; however, how synbiotic diet interacts with antidepressant medications has not been fully investigated. This study sought to evaluate the potential anxiolytic or antidepressant effects of a synbiotic diet in an avian model that presents homologies with...
My findings show what causes loss of awareness, anesthesia, memory replay, opioid induced respiratory depression (OIRD), and slow-wave sleep (SWS). Opiates are fast pain relievers and anesthetics that can cause respiratory arrest. I found how mu-opioids and anesthetics by activating medial habenula (MHb) and/or interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) induce unawareness and slowdown respiration. MHb...
This paper introduces Active Intersubjective Inference (AISI), a novel framework that integrates psychodynamic theory with predictive processing to explain self-identity construction and psychopathology. AISI posits that the self emerges from recursive inferences about how others perceive us (second-order self), interacting bidirectionally with interoceptive processes. We map psychodynamic...
Abstract Background DNA methylation is a biomarker suited to investigate dynamic processes, such as treatment response. For this analysis we focus on DNA methylation changes during a randomised controlled trial (RCT) in treatment resistant depressed patients comparing racemic ketamine (s.c.) versus midazolam (s.c.) (the Ketamine for Adult Depression Study - KADS). This clinical trial showed a...
Depression is a prevalent and heterogeneous disorder with significant personal and social consequences. The rise of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) challenges traditional approaches and underscores the need for a broader neurobiological perspective. When monoaminergic modulation proves insufficient, clinical guidelines increasingly turn to non-monoaminergic interventions such as...
Abstract Importance Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide, motivating substantial interest in psilocybin as a potential treatment. Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of psilocybin’s impact on depressive symptoms and provide a living open data resource. Data Sources PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO retrieved by a systematic search up to...
Antidepressant effects with sub-anesthetic doses of intravenous ketamine have been previously demonstrated. However, previous studies have primarily evaluated the efficacy of acute treatment protocols, with limited research on maintenance treatment. Moreover, controlled maintenance studies have only included patients with treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder (TRD), with no maintenance...
Globally, depression affects millions of people of all ages, making it one of the significant contributors to deteriorating quality of life by causing neurological impairments that eventually weaken cognition, learning, and memory. According to the monoamine hypothesis, depression is associated with decreased serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels in the central nervous system. Drugs...
This multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of esketamine (ESK) for smoking cessation. The study enrolled a sample of 236 patients diagnosed with lung cancer and major depression disorder (MDD). Treatment included intranasal delivery of ESK or placebo once a week for 8 sessions. The primary outcomes were self-reported and...
Chronic stress is a risk factor for depression and may contribute to treatment resistance. This historical cohort study examined the association between baseline perceived stress, measured with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and response to (es) ketamine in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Adult TRD patients who received intravenous racemic ketamine or intranasal esketamine were...