Ketamine News and Research

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Novel mechanistic insights on how ketamine exerts antidepressant effects

The discovery that the anaesthetic ketamine can help people with severe depression has raised hopes of finding new treatment options for the disease.

10 Aug 2021

Study opens the door to improved treatment for psychosis sufferers

University of Otago scientists have opened the door to improved treatment of brain dysfunction which causes psychosis.

15 Jul 2021

Molecular dynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors

A new study reports the results of molecular dynamic simulations that were performed in an effort to identify new drugs that could be effective against SARS-CoV-2.

13 Jul 2021

Treatment-resistant depression relieved by laughing gas

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Chicago have found that a single, one-hour treatment involving the inhalation of a mixture of oxygen and the anesthetic drug nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, can improve symptoms of depression in people resistant to treatment.

15 Jun 2021

Study explains why it is difficult to withdraw from certain antidepressants

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are a step closer to discovering why it is so difficult for people to withdraw from some antidepressant medications.

28 May 2021

Mice experiencing hallucination-like events provide clues to understand psychosis

The humble lab mouse has provided invaluable clues to understanding diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes to COVID-19. But when it comes to psychiatric conditions, the lab mouse has been sidelined, its rodent mind considered too different from that of humans to provide much insight into mental illness.

1 Apr 2021

Fluoxetine (Prozac) performs strongly in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 (including mutants)

Researchers from Finland, to expand on these studies, tested some of these drugs against the new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The study is published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

24 Mar 2021

Lower dose of ketamine is as effective as the standard dose to treat pain in adults

A recent Loyola Medicine study found that reducing the standard dose of IV-administered ketamine in half is as effective as the larger, standard dose in reducing pain in adults.

10 Mar 2021

Wastewater analysis shows the pattern of designer drug use in eight countries

Despite deaths and hospitalizations linked to many new psychoactive substances (NPS), an international wastewater study led by the University of South Australia shows just how prevalent 'party pills' and 'bath salts' are in different parts of the world.

22 Feb 2021

Molecular modeling helps identify the binding site of antidepressantss

The effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other conventional antidepressants are believed to be based on their increasing the levels of serotonin and noradrenalin in synapses, while ketamine, a new rapid-acting antidepressant, is thought to function by inhibiting receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate.

19 Feb 2021

Study provides new insight into the effects of antidepressant drugs

18 Feb 2021

$1.3 million grant funds clinical trial to test psilocybin for treating patients with phantom limb pain

The Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UC San Diego has received a $1.3 million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to fund a clinical trial investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in treating phantom limb pain.

17 Feb 2021

Repeated ketamine infusions may be a promising treatment for PTSD patients

Repeated intravenous (IV) ketamine infusions significantly reduce symptom severity in individuals with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the improvement is rapid and maintained for several weeks afterwards, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

5 Jan 2021

4E-BP proteins are key to unlock the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain

A group of proteins called 4E-BPs, involved in memory formation, is the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain, according to researchers from three Canadian universities. The discovery could lead to better and safer treatments for certain patients suffering from major depression.

17 Dec 2020

Low‐dose ketamine does not alter a healthy human's tolerance to blood loss

A low dose of ketamine, administered intravenously, does not alter a healthy human's tolerance to blood loss. In other words, if someone was given ketamine to kill pain associated with a battlefield injury, they would be able to tolerate blood loss just as well as someone who did not received this pain killer.

21 Oct 2020

Study reveals how subanesthetic ketamine is effective in treating adult amblyopia

In a new study, published in Current Biology, researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine reveal how subanesthetic ketamine, which is used for pain management and as an antidepressant in humans, is effective in treating adult amblyopia, a brain disorder commonly known as "lazy eye."

30 Sep 2020

Computer model sheds light on how brain circuits might be altered in psychiatric diseases

Scientists have built a computer 'brain circuit', or artificial neural network, that mirrors human decision-making processes and sheds light on how circuits might be altered in psychiatric diseases, a new study published today in eLife reports.

29 Sep 2020

An overview of withdrawal syndromes following discontinuation of psychotropic drugs

The current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics reports an article that analyzes the data that are available on what may happen when psychotropic drugs are discontinued.

24 Sep 2020

Measuring heart rate changes to detect depression risk

For the first time doctors have shown that measuring changes in 24-hour heart rate can reliably indicate whether or not someone is depressed.

11 Sep 2020

UV researchers patent a kit to detect GHB in alcoholic beverages and soft drinks

The MODeLiC (Organic Materials for Controlled Detection and Release) research team led by Ana María Costero, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Valencia (UV), has developed a system with colorimetric sensors that change color when there is γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) in a beverage.

8 Sep 2020