Is Ketamine a rapid acting antidepressant in juvenile rats?

Abstract

<b>Abstract ID 26856</b> <b>Poster Board 272</b> Ketamine and Esketamine are rapid-acting antidepressants. Esketamine is approved for the treatment of treatment resistant depression in adults, but not for the treatment of adolescent depression. Further investigation of Ketamine’s rapid acting antidepressant effect in juvenile rodent models are warranted. This study tests whether Ketamine is a rapid acting antidepressant in juvenile rats. The dose-response and time course of ketamine’s antidepressant-like effects in juvenile rats was assessed using the Tail Suspension Test and the Forced Swim Test. Juvenile rats were injected once with varying doses of Ketamine and tested at 2, 24, and 72 hours. Our findings indicate that ketamine has antidepressant-like action at the 2 hours and 24 hours at doses from 40 to 60 mg/ml. No significant change in antidepressant-like activity was observed at 72 hours for any dose. In future studies, we will delineate whether there are pharmacokinetic differences in rapid antidepressant and dissociative effects of ketamine in juvenile rats. This work was funded by a Warner Fermaturo grant ^#501-501 and 560-760 awarded by AT Still University, Kirksville, MO, USA and a Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program Award ^#851-059 awarded by Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, AT Still University, Kirksville, MO, USA.