Investigating Glutamate and Opioid Mechanisms of Antidepressant Response to Ketamine | C4C

Ketamine, a widely used anaesthetic, has emerged as an effective, rapid-acting antidepressant with promising effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, it is not fully understood how ketamine works in the brain to cause these effects. Ketamine acts at receptors in the brain (NMDA receptors), leading to changes in levels of glutamate, the brain’s main excitatory chemical transmitter. Ketamine also interacts with brain receptors called opioid receptors. It has been suggested that both the glutamate and opioid systems may be involved in ketamine’s antidepressant effects. This study aims to understand the changes that occur in the brain immediately after receiving ketamine in individuals with TRD, how the glutamate and opioid systems are involved, and how this relates to changes in depressive symptoms.