Journal of affective disorders
August 1, 2025
Morgan C H Cheng, Christine E Dri, Hana Ballum et al.
12 citations
Ketamine and esketamine produce rapid antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, but their impact on patient-reported quality of life has been unclear. A systematic review of five studies found that both agents improve quality of life measures on scales such as the WHOQOL-BREF, Assessment of Quality of Life 8D, and EuroQol-5 Dimension-5 Layers, with statistically significant results. However, the studies had an overall moderate risk of bias and varied in the quality-of-life scales used and study duration. Further research should examine effects on specific quality-of-life domains.
Clinical neuropharmacology
June 19, 2026
Isabela Heroiu, Gia Han Le, Maria-Christina Sioufi et al.
Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, consistently and significantly reduced obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom severity by up to 50% to 60% across five studies, though the duration of effects ranged from a few hours to six weeks. Ketamine was generally well tolerated. The review included three randomized controlled trials and two open-label trials with variable routes of administration (intravenous, intramuscular, and oral) and dosing frequencies. Further research is needed to optimize ketamine treatment for sustained symptom reduction.
Pharmacopsychiatry
February 5, 2026
Tianyi Xu, Sabrina Wong, Gia Han Le et al.
Lysergic acid diethylamide and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine activate the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor, a pathway known to cause drug-induced valvular heart disease. This systematic review of 17 studies found no research on psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine, or mescaline. Both lysergic acid diethylamide and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine show high or moderate affinity for this receptor and promote signaling linked to fibrotic changes in heart valve tissue. In vivo studies confirm serotonin-induced valvulopathy, and chronic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine use has been associated with valve abnormalities in humans. No clinical cases of lysergic acid diethylamide-induced valvulopathy have been reported, but preclinical data suggest potential for fibrotic signaling under sustained exposure. Preliminary evidence supports the need for cardiac safety monitoring in psychedelic research.