Quantitative monitoring of ketamine's impact on synaptic density using 11C-UCB-J PET imaging in the corticosterone mouse model of anxiety/depression.
Molecular psychiatry November 18, 2025 Cassandre Corvo, Sébastien Goutal, Indira Mendez-David et al. 1 citation
In a mouse model of anxiety/depression, a single dose of ketamine produced rapid antidepressant effects in behavior tests, but no change in synaptic density was detected by PET imaging 24 hours later. After three weekly doses, ketamine restored synaptic density to healthy control levels, an effect that coincided with delayed antidepressant effects. The PET tracer 11C-UCB-J reliably tracked these changes, and its binding correlated with levels of synaptic proteins. The findings support using SV2A PET imaging to monitor drug-induced rebuilding of brain connections as a marker of antidepressant efficacy.