Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) are debilitating psychiatric conditions associated with significant psychosocial and economic burdens. Conventional antidepressants, particularly SSRIs and SNRIs, often produce inadequate responses and cause sexual dysfunction, contributing to poor adherence and diminished quality of life. This review aims to evaluate the...
Depression is a debilitating psychiatric disorder. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine are effective treatments for severe depression, but target populations may differ. Systematic reviews on the few available trials show higher remission rates with ECT than with ketamine. Nonetheless, ketamine’s rapid onset of action is comparable to ECT but with less cognitive adverse effects. This...
Although both intranasal esketamine and intravenous ketamine have proven efficacy and tolerability in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), patient access to these treatments is often limited due to cost, availability, and/or monitoring requirements. This article is intended to provide a synthesis of the current literature with regard to the pharmacologic use of ketamine in TRD and describe its...
Ketamine produces fast-acting antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Prior studies have shown altered functional dynamics between brain networks in major depression. We thus sought to determine whether functional brain network dynamics are modulated by ketamine therapy in TRD. Participants with TRD (n = 58, mean age = 40.7 years, female = 48.3%) completed resting-state...
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for cancer-related depression, yet little research has examined how therapeutic context shapes patient experiences. While set (mindset) and setting (environment) are considered central to psychedelic treatment, empirical evidence on their role in PAT acceptability remains limited. This study explores factors influencing the acceptability of PAT...
NeuroImage: Clinical2025Gianna M. Perez, Benjamin M. Rosenberg, Wenyi Xu et al.3 citations
BACKGROUND: Understanding changes in brain activity following treatment is critical to advancing the use of neuroimaging in psychiatric research. Previous work has focused on defining abnormalities (biomarkers) between patients and healthy controls but there has been less investigation of brain changes in depression patients following treatment. To boost sample size and explore the possibility...
Research2025Shujie Li, Shu-Jie Li, Qingning Yuan et al.
The 5-HT 1A receptor is a critical target in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Bufotenine derivatives, such as 5-methoxy- N , N -dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), 5-hydroxy- N , N -dimethyltryptamine (5-OH-DMT), and 5-hydroxy- N , N , N -dimethyltryptamine—derived from traditional Chinese medicine—have shown antidepressant potential. However, the structural basis of their interaction with...
The overarching goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility, which can be enhanced through mechanisms such as acceptance, valued-driven actions, or mindfulness. Several meta-analyses confirm the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the treatment of clinical and subclinical populations, including patients diagnosed with depressive disorder and insomnia, largely...
Although each PAP model differs, both may have clinical relevance in depression treatment. Future work should explore the standardized reporting of psychological interventions in PAP and comparative study designs to better evaluate non-specific and specific models and inform treatment guidelines.
Open Science Framework2025Mackenzie Hancock, Shambhu Prasad Adhikari, Nicole Getz
preprint
This scoping review examines the emerging evidence for psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAP) in treating trauma-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS), with specific implications for intimate partner violence (IPV)-related brain injury and PTSD. Guided by PRISMA-ScR methodology, we systematically searched Medline,...