Monoamine neurotransmitter-related gene-based genome-wide association study of low-dose ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) March 24, 2025 Chung-Feng Kao, Shih-Jen Tsai, Tung-Ping Su et al. 1 citation
Low-dose ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, has an antidepressant effect in treatment-resistant depression that may involve multiple monoamine neurotransmitter systems beyond glutamate. In a trial with 65 patients, those receiving 0.5 mg/kg or 0.2 mg/kg ketamine were compared with those receiving normal saline. Genetic analysis of 50 monoamine-related genes found that variants in the cholinergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, opioid, cannabinoid, and σ1 receptor systems were associated with ketamine's antidepressant effect. The neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway played a key role. The findings suggest that ketamine's effects involve serotonin, dopamine, and other monoamine systems.