Antidepressant effects of ketamine: mechanisms underlying fast-acting novel antidepressants.

ABSTRACT: Newer antidepressants are needed for the many individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) that do not respond adequately to treatment and because of a delay of weeks before the emergence of therapeutic effects. Recent evidence from clinical trials shows that the NMDA antagonist ketamine is a revolutionary novel antidepressant because it acts rapidly and is effective for treatment-resistant patients. A single infusion of ketamine alleviates depressive symptoms in treatment-resistant depressed patients within hours and these effects may be sustained for up to 2 weeks. Although the discovery of ketamine's effects has reshaped drug discovery for antidepressants, the psychotomimetic properties of this compound limit the use of this therapy to the most severely ill patients. In order to dev

SUBMITTER: Browne CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3873522 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature