New use for an old drug: How does ketamine combat depression?

Sagnik Nag, Amity University, Kolkata

According to researchers from three Canadian universities, a group of proteins called 4E-BPs, involved in memory formation, is the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain. The discovery could throw light upon better and safer treatments for certain patients suffering from clinical depression. Unlike standard antidepressants, which takes several weeks to effect, ketamine works within hours. Until now, little was known about the molecular and physiological mechanism that can trigger the antidepressant effect of ketamine on the brain.

Because near-about more than 30% of patients are resilient towards selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), the most commonly-prescribed antidepressants, finding an effective treatment for major depressive disorder is challenging. The scientific discovery of ketamine for treatment-resistant patients was considered a major advance in modern psychiatry. Despite its promise and subsequent discovery, ketamine remains a less-than-perfect therapy because it can be addictive. 

Medicine doesn’t work upon one size fits all policy, according to Aguilar-Valles, an assistant professor at Carleton University, too many decisions on the trial-and-error approach can severely affect the patient and their mental health. The study involved Dr Gabriella Gobbi, from the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, the study tried to potentially bring us closer to a safer alternative to ketamine, and subsequently to a personalized medicine approach, where medical treatments are tailored to the individual characteristics of each patient. This approach and study resolve the problem of hit and trial, thus patients would get better treatment. 

Furthermore, the researchers will examine and scrutinise whether males and females have different responses to ketamine. This comparative analysis could have important implications for treatment for people with clinical depressive disorders, among which women are significantly overrepresented. The researchers sincerely hope that their findings will pave the way for better and safer antidepressant therapies for patients with major clinical depressive disorders.

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Reference-  https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-drug-ketamine-combat-depression.html

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