Ketamine– an anesthetic, analgesic, and sedative– is found to reduce the symptoms of depression within hours, as compared to conventional drug therapies that take significantly longer. A team of researchers in Chicago targeted ketamine in stressed and unstressed mice that were genetically modified to regulate the activities of new neurons i.e. adult-born immature granule neurons (ABINs). Other important findings Ketamine can be used in limited quantities and for a limited amount of time due to its side effects. It causes an increase in the activity of ABINs, leading to a faster waning of depression symptoms.
Ketamine can be useful to treat addiction when given in proper drug combinations, and can rewire the neurons and reduce dependency. Do you think drugs like ketamine are safe to use as antidepressants? ##Reference## Rawat, R., Tunc-Ozcan, E., McGuire, T. L., Peng, C. Y., & Kessler,…
