Antidepressant effect of ketamine requires opioid system activation

A placebo ‐controlled study in which participants with treatment‐resistant depression received naltrexone prior to infusion of ketamine found that the opioid antagonist blocked ketamine's antidepressant effects but not the dissociation induced by ketamine. These findings suggest that the antidepressant ef fect of ketamine requires activation of the opioid system.

Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: What's New in Research Source Type: research