Aim This study aims to compare two treatment procedures (standard selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and rapid-acting therapies/specifically ketamine) for patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression along with evaluating the effectiveness of these approaches in alleviating symptoms and improving patient outcomes. Materials and Methods This study examined 80 patients suffering...
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...
Depression is a leading global health burden increasingly linked to dysregulation in glutamatergic signaling. Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), including NMDA, AMPA, and kainate subtypes, have emerged as pivotal therapeutic targets. However, the rapid expansion of literature has led to a fragmented research landscape, creating an urgent need for a structured overview. This study aims to...
Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects in a subset of patients with treatment-resistant depression, yet neuroimaging findings have been difficult to integrate because studies differ in imaging modality, analytic approach, task context, and post-infusion timing. To address this, we conducted a multimodal synthesis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) affects approximately 30% of major depressive disorder(MDD) cases and represents a major unmet clinical need. Ketamine produces rapid antidepressanteffects in TRD, but response is variable and no validated biomarker predicts who will respond.Multiple independent studies have now shown that baseline EEG features -- particularly vigilancestage distribution and...
BMC PsychiatryApril 26, 2026Sergi 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...
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...
Background/Objectives: Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains a leading cause of disability worldwide and exhibits substantial biological heterogeneity that is not adequately captured by current symptom-based diagnostic systems. While the classical monoamine hypothesis has historically guided antidepressant development, it does not fully account for variability in treatment response, delayed...
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Ketamine was originally developed as a dissociative anesthetic and has remained a valuable agent in anesthesia related to its ability to preserve airway reflexes and relative hemodynamic stability. Over time, its clinical applications have expanded beyond procedural sedation to include roles in pain management and psychiatry. In pain medicine, the therapeutic rationale is...
Scientific ReportsApril 21, 2026Rong 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...