Pharmacological research
March 1, 2024
Sandra Ledesma-Corvi, Jordi Jornet-Plaza, Laura Gálvez-melero et al.
22 citations
Adolescent depression often requires faster-acting treatments than standard selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which take weeks to work. This review examines promising fast-acting options for adolescents, including non-pharmacological neuromodulation (electroconvulsive therapy and other brain stimulation) and pharmacological approaches such as ketamine, classical psychedelics, and cannabidiol. Most clinical evidence for these therapies comes from adult studies, but recent preclinical work is beginning to address sex-, age-, and dose-related differences that may affect efficacy and safety in adolescents. The authors call for more clinical studies and for designing novel treatments that are both safe and fast-acting for this age group.
Pharmacological reports : PR
October 1, 2024
Elena Hernández-Hernández, Sandra Ledesma-Corvi, Jordi Jornet-Plaza et al.
8 citations
A single dose of ketamine produced a fast-acting antidepressant-like effect in 14-month-old male rats, reducing immobility in the forced-swim test within 30 minutes, accompanied by increased levels of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) in the prefrontal cortex. However, repeated daily ketamine for 7 days did not sustain antidepressant-like effects and instead decreased mBDNF in the same brain region. Neither acute nor repeated ketamine altered hippocampal cell proliferation or other neurotrophic markers. The findings extend evidence for ketamine's rapid antidepressant potential to older age, but the loss of efficacy with repeated dosing and possible adverse effects in aging require further investigation.
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
January 1, 2025
Jordi Jornet-Plaza, Sandra Ledesma-Corvi, M Julia García-Fuster
6 citations
Ketamine, approved for treatment-resistant depression in adults, shows potential as an antidepressant for adolescents but with sex-specific dose requirements and safety concerns. In rats, a single dose of 5 mg/kg produced antidepressant-like effects in females and 10 mg/kg in males, while 7-day treatment extended efficacy to lower doses. Safety assessments revealed psychomotor sensitization in adolescent females at the antidepressant dose and addiction liability in adult males re-exposed to ketamine after adolescent treatment. These findings indicate that ketamine's antidepressant effects in adolescence are dose- and sex-dependent, but the observed safety risks warrant caution before clinical translation.
Frontiers in pharmacology
January 1, 2024
Carles Colom-Rocha, Cristian Bis-Humbert, M Julia García-Fuster
3 citations
Adolescent exposure to ethanol, alone or combined with cocaine, increases voluntary ethanol consumption in adult male and female rats, but does not cause lasting negative affect. Cocaine alone has no effect on later ethanol intake. In rats exposed to adolescent ethanol, adult treatment with cannabidiol reduces ethanol consumption in both sexes, while ketamine reduces it only in females. These findings identify two potential therapeutic interventions to mitigate the long-term impact of early drug initiation.