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. 2018 Apr 1:2018:cer-04-18.
eCollection 2018 Mar-Apr.

The Dazzling Promise of Ketamine

Ronald S Duman

The Dazzling Promise of Ketamine

Ronald S Duman. Cerebrum. .

Abstract

About 30 percent of all people suffering from depression do not respond adequately to available treatments. Our author, a leading researcher in the field of antidepressants, says that the rediscovery of a promising, yet problematic, drug called ketamine is the most significant breakthrough for treating depression in half a century. Will ketamine inspire the next generation of antidepressants?

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preclinical studies show evidence of neuronal atrophy and loss in response to stress. Chronic stress, which can lead to depression, decreases synaptic connections in the PFC and hippocampus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
What are the signaling mechanisms underlying synaptic loss caused by stress/MDD: decreased BDNF-mTORC1 signaling? Duman et al, Nature Medicine, 2016.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Signaling mechanisms for ketamine and rapid acting antidepressants. Duman et al, Nature Medicine, 2016.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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