The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
November 16, 2020
Bashkim Kadriu, Maximillian Greenwald, Ioline D. Henter et al.
98 citations
Both the anesthetic ketamine and classic serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin may produce rapid and sustained antidepressant effects after a transient psychoactive period. Evidence suggests a potentially shared mechanism wherein both types of drugs engender rapid neuroplastic effects in a glutamatergic activity-dependent manner. They appear to produce acute alterations in cortical network activity that may initially cause psychoactive effects and later produce milder, sustained changes in network efficiency associated with therapeutic response. However, the connection between psychoactive impact and antidepressant efficacy remains unclear and requires more rigorous research. Rapid-acting antidepressants currently under investigation may share downstream pharmacological effects, suggesting related mechanisms of action.
Drug Discovery Today
February 1, 2023
J. Johnston, Maximillian Greenwald, I. Henter et al.
64 citations
Stress triggers inflammation in the brain, a pattern also seen in the blood of people with depression. This stress-induced inflammation may contribute to treatment-resistant depression. The rapid-acting antidepressant ketamine works partly by reducing inflammation through effects on the HPA axis, the kynurenine pathway, or by suppressing cytokines. Understanding the link between ketamine, inflammation, and stress could reveal how ketamine works and lead to new rapid-acting antidepressants that target inflammation.
medRxiv
August 28, 2025
Franziska Stadler, Johan Saelens, Ioline D. Henter et al.
preprint
An international online study of 759 people examined how psychedelic drug use affects cognitive performance and mental health in the short and long term. Participants completed tasks measuring working memory, selective attention, and visual/spatial perception, plus questionnaires on mental health and quality of life. Recent users showed significantly lower accuracy on all cognitive tasks and reported more depressive and dissociative symptoms. Lifetime users had the highest task accuracy without slower reaction times, and their use was not linked to long-term cognitive decline. However, lifetime users scored lower on psychological and social quality of life domains, suggesting possible long-term psychosocial effects.