Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
December 1, 2022
Peng Liu, Shanshan Zhang, Yun Liang et al.
16 citations
Adding esketamine to an antidepressant improves outcomes for people with treatment-resistant depression more than placebo plus antidepressant. Across seven randomized controlled trials involving 701 patients receiving esketamine plus antidepressant and 551 receiving placebo plus antidepressant, the combination led to greater reductions in depression severity scores (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and self-rating depression scale), higher response and remission rates at the end of the double-blind induction period, and better quality of life and health status ratings. Minor adverse reactions occurred with esketamine.
Hearing research
August 1, 2026
Shuhan Lu, Zhixin Zhang, Xinmiao Xue et al.
Tinnitus, the perception of sound without an external source, lacks effective treatments. Psilocybin, a psychedelic, shows promise by activating 5-HT2A receptors, boosting glutamate release, and upregulating BDNF, which increases dendritic spine density and synaptic proteins in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, restoring neural plasticity. This review connects these neuroplasticity mechanisms to tinnitus-related neural changes, highlighting psilocybin's regulatory effects on excitatory (glutamate, dopamine) and inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmitters and their receptors, suggesting a novel therapeutic pathway.
Brain research bulletin
August 1, 2026
Rui Dong, Jiaxin Liu, Yumei Shen et al.
In a mouse model of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) that also shows anxiety-like behavior, esketamine (ES) given for five days dose-dependently reduced pain and anxiety. TN caused damage to neurons in the hippocampus and increased levels of the necroptosis pathway proteins RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL. ES treatment reversed these changes, protecting neurons and restoring dendritic spines. Adding a necroptosis activator blocked ES's effects, confirming that ES works by inhibiting the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL pathway. The findings highlight necroptosis as a key mechanism linking TN pain to emotional disorders and suggest ES could be repurposed as a treatment for both pain and anxiety in TN.