Medical Science Monitor
February 18, 2026
Łukasz Grabarczyk, Sophia Rebekka Wolfermann, Hubert Oniszczuk et al.
Conventional antidepressant drugs are effective in only approximately 50% of patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, offers a promising alternative with an exceptionally rapid antidepressant effect. Although its efficacy in the general TRD population is well established, its use in specific patient subpopulations...
Research Square
February 17, 2026
Zofia Winczewska, Magdalena Górska-ponikowska, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała
preprint
Abstract Aim of study: The antidepressant effect of ketamine may be at least partly due to its antioxidant activity. The aim of the study was to assess whether ketamine develops a protective effect on HT22 neuronal cells under conditions of oxidative stress (OS) induced by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Material and methods The experiment was performed on an immortalized mouse hippocampal HT22...
Addiction
February 16, 2026
Cassie Bloy, Ananya Sarma, Bethan Marsh et al.
1 citation
People with alcohol use disorder experience alterations in consciousness from 0.8 mg/kg intravenous ketamine administration. Ketamine's effects appear to be broadly consistent across three repeated infusions. Ketamine-related reductions in alcohol consumption do not appear to be mediated by the acute psychoactive effects of ketamine.
Journal of Affective Disorders
February 14, 2026
H. Xue, Xu Yang, Shihui Kuai et al.
General anesthetics can exert significant adverse effects on the central nervous system. This study aimed to investigate whether repeated exposure to sevoflurane induces depression-like behaviors in postpartum rats. Pregnant rats were exposed to 3% sevoflurane for 2 h on gestational days 13-15. Emotional behaviors were assessed on postpartum days 1, 7, 14, and 21. Hippocampal protein levels...
European Psychiatry
February 13, 2026
Haining Ma, Huaigui Liu, Wenwei Zhang et al.
Considerable effort has been devoted to investigate the neuroimaging correlates and predictors of antidepressant response to ketamine, yet inconsistency in the location and nature of the regional brain effects makes it difficult to unify this research. Despite the revolutionary notion that psychiatric therapeutics show network-level brain representations, investigations into network...
Research Square
February 11, 2026
Jack Swain, Davis Carter, Leonardo Vando
preprint
Abstract Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition affecting approximately 3-6% of the U.S. adult population annually, and is characterized by intrusive symptoms, avoidance, negative cognitive and mood alterations, and hyperarousal following trauma exposure. Ketamine shows promise as a treatment for PTSD in preliminary trials, though real-world...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 10, 2026
Erdem Pulcu, Sara Costi, Pilar Artiach-Hortelano et al.
preprint
Abstract Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid-antidepressant properties when administered at a sub-anesthetic dose. Preclinical models indicate that a direct injection of ketamine into lateral habenula (Hb), a small midbrain structure with an evolutionarily preserved role in aversive learning across mammals, can rapidly relieve depression-like behavior. However, there is limited...
February 10, 2026
Jolien K E Veraart
This thesis explores the use of ketamine in people with treatment-resistant depression. It starts by examining the concept of treatment-resistant depression, a term that is widely used but poorly defined. Importantly, this label may negatively influence patients’ expectations and sense of hope. As an alternative, more neutral framing is suggested.Survey data from individuals seeking ketamine...
BMC Psychiatry
February 9, 2026
Song-Yuan Liu, Rong Huang, Zhuang Liu et al.
BACKGROUND: In recent years, evidence has suggested that subanesthetic doses of esketamine may have beneficial effects on perioperative anxiety and depression. Concurrently, various factors contribute to a high incidence of perioperative depression and anxiety in the breast cancer patient population. This study aimed to explore the impact of preoperative induction and intraoperative maintenance...
International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
February 7, 2026
Daniel Pustay, Vishal Patel, Krista Ulisse et al.
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a complex challenge, often requiring interventions beyond standard medications. This review explores factors that may predict positive response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and ketamine-based treatments to help guide clinical decision-making. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA...