Abstract

KETAMINE AND OPIATES: RAPID ANTIDEPRESSANT ACTION ALEN J SALERIAN MD

Alen J. Salerian MD*

ABSTRACT

Major depressive disorder is a highly prevalent illness associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) antagonist ketamine and its enantiomer S- ketamine (esketamine) - which in 2019 was approved by the FDA for treatment resistant depression - have attracted enormous interest in psychiatry by their rapid antidepressant actions, but their precise mechanism of action has remained elusive.

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