Molecular Psychiatry
January 20, 2023
Jie Guo, Di Qiu, Han-Wen Gu et al.
46 citations
Perioperative intravenous ketamine reduces postoperative depression scores and pain scores on the first day after surgery but increases the risk of adverse effects including nausea, vomiting, headache, hallucination, and dizziness. The analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials with 1697 patients receiving ketamine and 1462 controls showed a reduction in depression scores on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7 and over the long term. Pain scores were lower only on the first postoperative day. The authors conclude that ketamine's benefits for postoperative depression and pain must be weighed against its increased adverse effects.
European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience
April 25, 2024
Li-Yuan Zhao, Guang-Fen Zhang, Xue-Jie Lou et al.
11 citations
Over the past two decades, research on the antidepressant effects of ketamine and its enantiomers has grown substantially, culminating in the approval of esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression. A bibliometric analysis of 4,274 publications from 2000 to 2023, using visualization tools, reveals two main research foci: the efficacy and safety of these compounds in treating depression, and the mechanisms underlying their rapid antidepressant effects. The rapid onset of ketamine's effects has spurred further investigation into its mechanisms and the search for new antidepressants with fewer side effects.
Zhonghua xingwei yixue yu naokexue zazhi
September 20, 2012
Guang-Fen Zhang, Nan Wang, Jinyun Shi et al.
In rats subjected to the forced swimming test, ketamine at 10 mg/kg reduced immobility time, an indicator of antidepressant-like effect, and lowered hippocampal nitric oxide (NO) levels. The NO precursor L-arginine increased NO and blocked ketamine's behavioral effect, while the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME enhanced the effect of a low ketamine dose (3 mg/kg) and also reduced NO. These findings suggest that ketamine's antidepressant action involves suppression of the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway.