Ketamine for Depression: Advances in Clinical Treatment, Rapid Antidepressant Mechanisms of Action, and a Contrast with Serotonergic Psychedelics
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences March 22, 2022 Marina Kojić, J. Saelens, B. Kadriu et al. 11 citations
Ketamine, approved for treatment-resistant depression, and serotonergic psychedelics both show rapid antidepressant effects. Although they act on different primary targets, both may restore synaptic deficits and reconfigure brain networks. A glutamate surge activates AMPA receptor throughput and increases BDNF levels. Understanding these shared mechanisms could guide development of new rapid-acting antidepressants with fewer side effects.