Current Status of Ketamine and Related Therapies for Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite a plethora of established treatments, less than one third of individuals with MDD achieve stable remission of symptoms. Given limited efficacy and significant lag time to onset of therapeutic action among conventional antidepressants, interest has shifted to treatments that act outside of the monoamine neurotransmitter systems (e.g., serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine). Preclinical and clinical research on the glutamate system has been particularly promising in this regard. Accumulating evidence shows support for a rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine—a glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor a..