Structural neural plasticity evoked by rapid-acting antidepressant interventions.
Nature reviews. Neuroscience February 1, 2025 Clara Liao, Alisha N Dua, Cassandra Wojtasiewicz et al. 60 citations
A feature of major depressive disorder is impaired excitatory synapses in the prefrontal cortex. Treatments with rapid antidepressant effects—ketamine, electroconvulsive therapy, and non-invasive neurostimulation—appear to enhance neural plasticity, but the specific forms and mechanisms linking these interventions to restoring excitatory synaptic function remain unknown. This review highlights preclinical research from the past 15 years showing that ketamine and psychedelic drugs can trigger growth of dendritic spines in cortical pyramidal neurons.