Inflammation, stress and depression: an exploration of ketamine’s therapeutic profile
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.