The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry
September 6, 2026
Balwinder Singh, Siamak MahmoudianDehkordi, Jennifer L. Vande Voort et al.
OBJECTIVE: Ketamine is a rapid-acting antidepressant with an incompletely understood mechanism of action. Pharmacometabolomics can identify pathways underlying its effects and response variability. Using data from the Bio-K trial (NCT03156504), a multisite open-label study, we characterised metabolomic signatures of intravenous (IV) racemic ketamine in adults with treatment-resistant depression...
Annals of Palliative Medicine
September 3, 2026
Danielle B Tometich, Christina L Hersh, Matthew A Murphy et al.
Background: Given the growing population of patients living with metastatic cancer, palliative care providers need every available tool for symptom management. We conducted a rapid review of the literature on palliative uses of ketamine for pain and depression in people with cancer. Methods: We systematically searched for studies published since 2015 that examined palliative uses of ketamine in...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
September 3, 2026
Anita Słupska, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała, Damian Swieczkowski et al.
Objectives Ketamine and esketamine are increasingly used for treatment-resistant depressive disorders, particularly when rapid symptom reduction is clinically desirable. Intranasal esketamine has a product-specific regulatory framework in several jurisdictions, whereas most racemic ketamine formulations remain off-label for psychiatric indications. This narrative review provides practical...
medRxiv
September 2, 2026
Yingqian Zhang, Xiaoman Zhuang, Mengqi Niu et al.
preprint
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mental illness associated with severe clinical consequences and substantial societal burden. It’s characterized by immune-inflammatory dysregulation and immune sensitization. Objective: To determine whether in vitro ketamine attenuates phytohemagglutinin (PHA)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immune sensitization in patients with MDD and...
JAMA Psychiatry
September 2, 2026
Diana Orsini, Sara Di Luch, George Tomlinson et al.
Importance Antidepressant efficacy of intravenous (IV) ketamine has been demonstrated in major depressive disorder; however, the efficacy and safety of ketamine for bipolar depression remain largely unknown, with limited data available in this specific population. Objective To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of adjunctive IV ketamine compared with midazolam for...
Drug safety
September 2, 2026
You Wang, Alexandra S Storaci, G Caleb Alexander et al.
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is associated with elevated suicide risk, but real-world evidence on whether esketamine reduces suicide attempts and intentional self-harm remains limited. The aim was to estimate whether current esketamine exposure was associated with a higher or lower risk of recorded nonfatal, medically attended suicide attempt or intentional self-harm among adults with...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
M. Pantic, M. D. Edisvog, G. Mihajlović et al.
Abstract Background Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective but underutilized treatment for depression that does not respond to antidepressants. Mild to moderate cognitive impairment is a common side effect, but usually resolves within a few hours. Aims & Objectives The main goal is a description of a patient who developed delirium after the sixth application of ECT. Method Using ECT...
Indian Journal of Psychiatry
September 1, 2026
Anand Prakash, Pranab Mahapatra, Jigyansa I. Pattnaik et al.
ABSTRACT Background: The 4–12 week lag period of conventional antidepressants creates critical vulnerability in severe depression, with peak suicide risk during the first month. While ketamine research has focused on treatment-resistant populations, its potential to eliminate this lag period in non-treatment-resistant severe depression remains unexplored. Aims: To evaluate whether add-on...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
Bernhard T Baune, T. Benway, D. Gregory et al.
Abstract Background Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a chronic condition affecting approximately 30% of patients with major depressive disorder, posing a significant unmet need for safe and effective treatments. GH001, an inhaled formulation of mebufotenin (5-MeO-DMT), has shown good tolerability and safety in early stage clinical trials in healthy volunteers and patients with TRD. Aims...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
W. Cubała, Kelly Doolin, Fiona Ryan et al.
Abstract Background Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents a particularly challenging form of major depressive disorder (MDD), defined by an inadequate response to at least two antidepressants given at adequate dose and duration within the current depressive episode. TRD affects nearly one-third of individuals with MDD and is consistently linked to greater psychiatric and medical...