Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026

HSV-Mediated Transgene Expression of Chimeric Constructs to Study Behavioral Function of GPCR Heteromers in Mice
Published on: July 9, 2016
Glutamatergic modulators: the future of treating mood disorders?
Carlos Zarate1, Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, Ioline Henter
1Experimental Therapeutics & Pathophysiology Branch, Division of Intramural Research Programs, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. zaratec@mail.nih.gov
None:
Mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder are common, chronic, and recurrent conditions affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Existing antidepressants and mood stabilizers used to treat these disorders are insufficient for many. Patients continue to have low remission rates, delayed onset of action, residual subsyndromal symptoms, and relapses. New therapeutic agents able to exert faster and sustained antidepressant or mood-stabilizing effects are urgently needed to treat these disorders. In this context, the glutamatergic system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders in unique clinical and neurobiological ways. In addition to evidence confirming the role of the glutamatergic modulators riluzole and ketamine as proof-of-concept agents in this system, trials with diverse glutamatergic modulators are under way. Overall, this system holds considerable promise for developing the next generation of novel therapeutics for the treatment of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.
Related Concept Videos
Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...

