Medical Science Monitor
April 27, 2020
Jie Wang, Yajun Wang, Xudong Xu et al.
80 citations
High-dose S-ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) significantly reduced pain and depression scores one and three days after surgery in cervical carcinoma patients with mild to moderate depression, compared to low-dose S-ketamine, racemic ketamine, or a control. The high-dose group also showed higher serum levels of BDNF and 5-HT at those time points. However, no differences between groups remained one week after surgery. Low-dose S-ketamine (0.25 mg/kg) and racemic ketamine did not produce significant improvements. The findings suggest that subanesthetic S-ketamine offers short-term benefits for postoperative depression and pain in this population, with the higher dose being more effective than racemic ketamine.
Medical Science Monitor
June 30, 2025
Andrzej Silczuk, Robert Madejek, Tytus Koweszko et al.
4 citations
Psychedelics, meaning 'soul-revealing', are classified into hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin, mescaline), entactogens (MDMA), and dissociatives (PCP, ketamine). The idea of using them in psychotherapy emerged in the 1940s, and after a period of restricted research, modern investigations resumed about 20 years ago. This review of the last decade finds that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy remains experimental. Preliminary studies suggest potential benefits for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders, but a definitive assessment is limited by a scarcity of large-scale, rigorous clinical trials. Psychedelics should be viewed as components of broader therapeutic frameworks, not standalone treatments. Their effect on neuroplasticity may address treatment gaps for patients unresponsive to conventional methods, but this requires validation through larger, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
Medical Science Monitor
February 18, 2026
Łukasz Grabarczyk, Sophia Rebekka Wolfermann, Hubert Oniszczuk et al.
Conventional antidepressants work in only about half of patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine, a fast-acting NMDA receptor antagonist, offers an alternative. This non-systematic review of preclinical and clinical evidence found that both ketamine and esketamine show efficacy across several TRD subpopulations, including geriatric, psychiatric, neurologic, oncologic, pediatric, and obstetric patients. Key challenges include psychotomimetic effects, abuse potential, and cardiovascular side effects. Preliminary data on arketamine suggest possible longer-lasting benefits with fewer adverse effects. However, many findings come from very small samples, highlighting the need for larger trials to establish definitive safety and efficacy.