Antidepressant effects of esketamine are associated with functional connectivity in the hippocampal subregion: A resting state magnetic resonance study.
Neuroscience July 8, 2025 Xiang Liu, Yumeng Liu, Jun Tu et al. 2 citations
In 29 patients with major depressive disorder, six intravenous infusions of esketamine led to significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation scores, along with improved cognitive scores. After two weeks, functional connectivity between the right caudal hippocampus and the left cerebellum, precuneus, and middle temporal gyrus increased. The connectivity between the right caudal hippocampus and left middle temporal gyrus negatively correlated with cognitive scores. The altered hippocampal connectivity may reflect esketamine's regulatory mechanism on depressive symptoms, involving the default network and cortico-cerebellar loop.