Ketamine therapy is effective in alleviating symptoms of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety; however, its increasing recreational use raises concerns about potential abuse. Hericium erinaceus mycelium, which contains the bioactive compound erinacine A, has shown promise in promoting brain health. This study investigated whether H. erinaceus mycelium and erinacine A could...
Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric condition that frequently presents with comorbid depressive disorders. For patients exhibiting treatment-refractory OCD and concurrent depressive disorder(s), there is growing clinical interest in the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine as a rapid-acting intervention. This case report...
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with nearly one-third remaining treatment-resistant. Chronic stress is a major risk factor for MDD, whereas acute stress is adaptive and mediated by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation. Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects, partly through mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signalling,...
Application of psychedelics including ketamine may be important adjuncts in the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders. Most patients with alcohol or opioid use disorder (AUD/OUD) may present to the emergency department (ED) seeking care both for substance use and associated complaints. Understanding safety and preliminary efficacy of ketamine and other psychedelics to improve the care...
Ketamine (KET) addiction has already been a serious problem all over the world, which could induce neurological and psychological harm. Levo-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP), a major alkaloid extracted from the Chinese medicinal plants Corydalis and Stephania, has been shown to attenuate ketamine (KET) induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in rats. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism remains...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) affects about one-third of people with major depression and leads to higher suicide rates, impaired functioning, and increased healthcare use. Originally defined as nonresponse to tricyclic antidepressants, TRD now encompasses inadequate response to multiple antidepressant classes, psychotherapy, and neuromodulation. Inconsistent criteria-varying by agency,...
Surgical stress can lead to postoperative anxiety and depression, especially in adolescents. These complications reduce quality of life and increase medical burdens, but perioperative psychological interventions for adolescents are limited, and related mechanisms remain unclear. Esketamine (S-ketamine), an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, has analgesic, sedative,...
Esketamine is increasingly being applied for preventing postpartum depression (PPD). However, clinical protocols for this application are inconsistent, particularly concerning the route of administration. The aim was to determine whether esketamine bolus administration differed from continuous infusion in terms of preventing PPD. A total of 503 subjects without prenatal depression undergoing...
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) modulates stress responsivity and social-affective behaviors, but its role in mood and trauma-related disorders remains poorly defined due to challenges in peripheral measurement. This study used copeptin, a stable, reliable, and well-validated surrogate marker of AVP secretion, to assess vasopressinergic function in a transdiagnostic sample of individuals...
Ketamine, a well-established antidepressant and dissociative anesthetic, is also used recreationally in the club and chemsex scene. Survey and qualitative data suggest that while ketamine facilitates chemsex encounters, it diminishes the intensity of the sexual experience. To investigate this phenomenon from a neuroscientific perspective while considering ketamine's sex-specific effects. Two...
Ketamine is a rapid-acting antidepressant with robust evidence, but unclear predictors of therapeutic response. Based on previous knowledge, hemodynamic parameters and acute altered state of consciousness have been hypothesized as potential correlates of subsequent antidepressant outcome. A post hoc analysis was performed using the data from an open-label study, in which 39 patients with...
Rapid-acting antidepressants show that mood can lift within hours when glutamatergic circuits shift from an "NMDA-dominant" to an "AMPA-dominant" state. Intravenous ketamine achieves this flip but is hampered by dissociation and logistics, while dextromethorphan + bupropion (Auvelity®) primarily supplies the initial NMDA blockade and yields slower, less durable benefit. We hypothesize that a...
Ketamine has emerged as a highly effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Though it acts as a non-competitive antagonist of excitatory N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), widely expressed in the brain, including on inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic cells, the mechanisms of its antidepressant action are less clear. To investigate the links between glutamate...
Ketamine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist, shows promise for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), with psychedelic doses potentially enhancing efficacy. However, its transient antidepressant effects and the need for repeated infusions raise concerns about optimal duration and long-term safety. Two clinical trials have tested the combination of ketamine with psychotherapy for depression,...
Esketamine is an innovative treatment for individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, its adoption could depend on the perceptions and motivations of prescribing psychiatrists, among other factors. This study aims to explore the attitudes of psychiatrists (of all levels, including those in training) across Saudi Arabia toward the use of esketamine for TRD and investigate the...
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe psychiatric condition characterized by positive symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions, as well as negative symptoms such as apathy, anhedonia and avolition. Given their chronic nature and limited response to current treatments, managing negative symptoms is a significant challenge for healthcare providers. Furthermore, many individuals with SCZ suffer from...
To investigate the effects of single low-dose esketamine combined with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) on early postpartum depression symptoms and recovery quality in women undergoing cesarean section. This prospective, randomized, controlled study enrolled 136 women scheduled for elective cesarean section, who were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the study group (esketamine...
Abstract Aims To synthesize the available experimental study evidence to estimate the effects of ketamine on suicide ideation (SI) in high-risk individuals. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Double-blind randomized controlled trials and open-label studies investigating...
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic with potential for treating mood, anxiety, and related disorders; however, concerns have emerged regarding hepatotoxicity in the context of chronic treatment. Systematic searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Ovid databases were conducted from inception to August 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational studies, and case...
Esketamine has a significant and rapid antidepressant effect. Although studies have shown that Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) and it's signaling pathway are associated with depression, the possible regulatory relationship of esketamine on the NRG1-ErbB4 pathway is not yet clear. To induce depressive-like behavior in mice, a Chronic Social Defeat Stress (CSDS) model was established. Behavioral indicators...