Ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are among the recommended treatments for treatment resistant depression (TRD). However, there is a subset of patients who do not respond to either treatment, making it insufficient to address their condition. To determine the efficacy of concurrent therapy with ECT and intravenous racemic ketamine in TRD. This retrospective study included a total of...
Depression and PTSD are prevalent psychiatric conditions that often co-occur and significantly impact quality of life. Ketamine has emerged as a promising rapid-acting treatment for both conditions, while traditional treatments like psychotherapy typically require weeks to show effects. This study investigated whether combining ketamine with psychotherapy produces greater symptom improvement...
Depression affects hundreds of millions globally, and in 2019, esketamine, an S-enantiomer of ketamine, was approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). While effective, esketamine carries risks, including abuse potential and adverse effects even at low doses. As a result, ketamine's metabolite, (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine ((2R,6R)-HNK), has garnered attention for its potential...
Ketamine infusion therapy has gained recognition as an innovative treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), demonstrating rapid and robust antidepressant effects. Its therapeutic promise is increasingly understood to involve molecular and neurobiological processes that promote neural plasticity and cognitive flexibility. These changes may create a unique window for psychotherapeutic...
Science AdvancesJuly 11, 2025Lujuan He, Xuenan Wang, Shilin Luo et al.8 citations
Arketamine, the (R)-enantiomer of (R,S)-ketamine, shows even greater rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects in rodent models compared to esketamine, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we used the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) model to investigate how arketamine exerts its antidepressant-like effects. We found that activating cAMP response element-binding...
Treatment-resistant major depression (TRD) poses a significant challenge in psychiatry due to the limited response to conventional therapies. Subanesthetic dose intravenous (IV) ketamine has emerged as an effective therapeutic option, providing rapid effects on depressive and suicidal symptoms. This article outlines the ketamine infusion protocol implemented in a general hospital, following...
These two cases highlight the utility of a focused, structured clinical phenomenological interview in measuring treatment effectiveness in subjective experience. Two male patients, aged 35 and 27, of Serbian ethnicity with treatment-resistant depression were treated with nasal esketamine, with clinical progress monitored using both the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the...
Scientific ReportsJuly 8, 2025Beenish Asrar, Nouman Ali, Imran Ali et al.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) and Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are pervasive psychiatric disorders characterized by impaired memory, sustained attention/motivation, and depression. FDA-approved Ketamine is an antidepressant drug but it affects cognitive abilities. Methylphenidate is the drug used for the treatment of ADHD. Chronic treatment overcomes attention and mental...
We aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in resting-state functional connectivity in a subregion of the hippocampus and the antidepressant effects of esketamine as well as to identify potential neuroimaging markers of the treatment outcomes. Twenty-nine patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) received six intravenous infusions of esketamine. All patients completed the...
The available therapeutic options for post-stroke depression patients are limited. Although SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, their slow onset of action and the higher risk of adverse effects or contraindications have led to an urgent need to develop fast-acting and highly specific antidepressants tailored to the needs of PSD patients. Therefore, ketamine has drawn...