Ketamine role in the treatment of Maternal depression: effects on offspring behaviour
Research Square Taqwa B. Thanoon, Zeina A. Althanoon
Depression during pregnancy can harm offspring brain development and behavior. Common antidepressants like SSRIs carry risks because they cross the placenta. Ketamine is being explored as an alternative. This study in mice examined the effects of ketamine on offspring of mothers that experienced stress. Female mice were divided into groups: control, maternal stress, stress plus fluoxetine, and stress plus ketamine. Behavioral tests measured anxiety, anhedonia, and despair in the offspring. Maternal stress increased anxiety-like behaviors, and both ketamine and fluoxetine reversed some effects. However, fluoxetine was more effective at reducing despair. Ketamine moderately reduced anhedonia compared to controls. More research on dose and timing is needed to optimize ketamine treatment.