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Updated: Jul 22, 2025

DetectSyn: A Rapid, Unbiased Fluorescent Method to Detect Changes in Synapse Density
Published on: July 22, 2022
Ketamine and rapid antidepressant action: new treatments and novel synaptic signaling mechanisms
John H Krystal1, Ege T Kavalali2, Lisa M Monteggia3
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Abstract:
Ketamine is an open channel blocker of ionotropic glutamatergic N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The discovery of its rapid antidepressant effects in patients with depression and treatment-resistant depression fostered novel effective treatments for mood disorders. This discovery not only provided new insight into the neurobiology of mood disorders but also uncovered fundamental synaptic plasticity mechanisms that underlie its treatment. In this review, we discuss key clinical aspects of ketamine's effect as a rapidly acting antidepressant, synaptic and circuit mechanisms underlying its action, as well as how these novel perspectives in clinical practice and synapse biology form a road map for future studies aimed at more effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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