Abstract
Ketamine strengthens connections between two brain regions that are involved in the production and regulation of dopamine, which may explain how the drug can alleviate depression.
Highlights
Related research article Wu M, Minkowicz S, Dumrongprechachan V, Hamilton P, Xiao L, Kozorovitskiy Y. 2021
The mechanisms that drive the antidepressant effects of ketamine are poorly understood: this is unusual for an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug, not unheard of for molecules used to treat affective disorders such as depression
The emergence of depression has been linked to disruption in the activity of the dopamine-producing neurons present in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, but few studies have examined whether ketamine elicits its antidepressant effects by altering the activity of these cells (Hamon and Blier, 2013)
Summary
Related research article Wu M, Minkowicz S, Dumrongprechachan V, Hamilton P, Xiao L, Kozorovitskiy Y. 2021. The mechanisms that drive the antidepressant effects of ketamine are poorly understood: this is unusual for an FDA-approved drug, not unheard of for molecules used to treat affective disorders such as depression. The emergence of depression has been linked to disruption in the activity of the dopamine-producing neurons present in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, but few studies have examined whether ketamine elicits its antidepressant effects by altering the activity of these cells (Hamon and Blier, 2013).
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