Ketamine News and Research

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New treatments for depression on the horizon

New insights into the physiological causes of depression are leading to treatments beyond common antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, researchers are reporting in the in the journal Current Psychiatry.

15 Feb 2014

PET imaging of brain reveals ketamine may act as antidepressant by regulating serotonin activity

Ketamine is a potent anesthetic employed in human and veterinary medicine, and sometimes used illegally as a recreational drug. The drug is also a promising candidate for the fast treatment of depression in patients who do not respond to other medications.

7 Jan 2014

Portage acquires approximately 54% equity in Biohaven

Portage Biotech Inc., is pleased to announce that it has acquired approximately 54% equity in Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Limited, a private corporation formed under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, for $3.5 million, payable as $1.75 million upfront and the balance in three installments over the next eleven months.

6 Jan 2014

Chemists able to trace narcotics substances, prescription drugs in Swedish wastewater

Chemists at Ume- University in Sweden have been able to trace narcotics substances and prescription drugs in measurements of wastewater from 33 Swedish sewage treatment plants. Cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine, in measurable concentrations, were found in a total of half of the locations.

17 Dec 2013

Researchers analyze effects of MXE drug usage

Researchers from Sweden have attempted to create an understanding to the subjective effects from use of Methoxetamine (MXE), a drug belonging to a class known as "legal highs" or "research chemicals," and available for purchase on the Internet.

26 Nov 2013

Enhancing the NMDA glutamate receptor causes antidepressant-like effects

Thirteen years ago, an article in this journal first reported that the anesthetic medication, ketamine, showed evidence of producing rapid antidepressant effects in depressed patients who had not responded to prior treatments. Ketamine works by blocking one of the targets for the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor.

20 Nov 2013

mTOR protein: A key mediator of antidepressant effects of ketamine

Two years ago, mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR, a signaling protein, was identified as a key mediator of the antidepressant effects of ketamine, the first rapidly acting antidepressant medication to be identified.

20 Nov 2013

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation announces recipients of NARSAD Investigator Grants

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (formerly known as NARSAD, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression), under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, President & CEO, has announced the latest recipients of its NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants.

8 Nov 2013

Serotonin 2C receptors induce fast-acting antidepressant effects in mice

More than 1 in 10 Americans take antidepressants, but these medications can take weeks-and for some patients, months-before they begin to alleviate symptoms. Now, scientists from the University of Chicago have discovered that selectively blocking a serotonin receptor subtype induces fast-acting antidepressant effects in mice, indicating a potential new class of therapeutics for depression. The work was published Oct. 29 in Molecular Psychiatry.

29 Oct 2013

Neuropsychoanalysis Association to host conference on depression

The Neuropsychoanalysis Association is hosting a conference for researchers and clinicians on depression, "Towards a Real Understanding of Depression: Lessons from the Treatment Battlefeld and New Research," on Friday, November 1, 2013 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, The Bonnie and Kenneth Davis Auditorium, 1470 Madison Avenue (between 101st and 102nd Streets) in New York City.

24 Oct 2013

Blood test can help predict which bipolar patients will benefit from Ketamine

Researchers have discovered how to determine which bipolar patients will benefit from Ketamine, a treatment commonly used for depression and pain relief, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

14 Oct 2013

Pregabalin drug can help reduce incidence of chronic pain following cardiac surgery

The incidence of chronic pain following cardiac surgery can be reduced in patients when the drug pregabalin is used before surgery and for 14 days post-surgery, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

14 Oct 2013

Researchers develop model that completes bridge between cellular and human studies of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is one of the most devastating neurological conditions, with only 30 percent of sufferers ever experiencing full recovery. While current medications can control most psychotic symptoms, their side effects can leave individuals so severely impaired that the disease ranks among the top ten causes of disability in developed countries.

31 Aug 2013

Ketamine anesthesia drug can cause learning and memory disorders in children

Recent studies have found that anesthesia drugs have neurotoxicity on the developing neurons, causing learning and memory disorders and behavioral abnormalities. Ketamine is commonly used in pediatric anesthesia.

20 Jul 2013

UTHealth psychiatrists win 2013 American Psychiatric Association's Mind Games competition for the third time

For the final question in the 2013 American Psychiatric Association's Mind Games competition, it was not enough to name the medication (ketamine) that has been shown in a few small studies to have a rapid antidepressant effect in treatment refractory patients.

14 Jun 2013

PTSD patients with Met-66 allele of BDNF show poorer response to exposure therapy

There is growing evidence that a gene variant that reduces the plasticity of the nervous system also modulates responses to treatments for mood and anxiety disorders. In this case, patients with posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, with a less functional variant of the gene coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor, responded less well to exposure therapy.

13 Jun 2013

Low-dose ketamine anesthetic has potential to alleviate severe depression

Low-dose intravenous infusions of ketamine, a general anesthetic used in minor surgeries, given over a long period are an effective treatment for depression, Mayo Clinic researchers found. The study is published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

5 Jun 2013

Naurex initiates Phase I trial of NRX-1074 in normal volunteers

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced that it has begun patient dosing in a Phase I trial of its novel, orally active agent NRX-1074.

4 Jun 2013

GLYX-13 drug induces antidepressant results without street drug side effects

GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the street drug side effects, reported a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that was published last month in Neuropsychopharmacology.

31 May 2013

Study sheds light on the phenomenon of general anesthesia

A study from the June issue of Anesthesiology found feedback from the front region of the brain is a crucial building block for consciousness and that its disruption is associated with unconsciousness when the anesthetics ketamine, propofol or sevoflurane are administered.

23 May 2013