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Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

Health Sciences Intensive care medicine

23 papers

Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation

Roger S. McIntyre, Joshua D. Rosenblat, Charles B. Nemeroff, Gerard Sanacora, James W. Murrough, Michael Berk, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2021 646 citations

A group of international mood-disorder experts reviewed the research on ketamine and esketamine for adults whose depression did not get better with usual antidepressants. They found that these drugs work differently from standard antidepressants and can lift symptoms more quickly for some people with treatment-resistant depression. However, the experts also…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine

Treatment‐resistant depression: definition, prevalence, detection, management, and investigational interventions

Roger S. McIntyre, Mohammad Alsuwaidan, Bernhard T. Baune, Michael Berk, Koen Demyttenaere, Joseph F. Goldberg, et al.
World Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2023 586 citations

Treatment-resistant depression means depression that does not get better after usual treatments. Scientists do not all agree on one clear definition, which makes it hard to know exactly how common it is or which treatments work best. Using the definition that regulators often use, about 30% of people with depression…

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies Treatment of Major Depression Ketamine

Ketamine for chronic pain: risks and benefits

Marieke Niesters, Christian Martini, Albert Dahan
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Summary & key facts 2013 485 citations

Ketamine, an anaesthetic, can reduce chronic pain, especially pain with nerve damage. Low doses give strong pain relief, probably by blocking NMDA receptors. Short infusions tend to help only while the drug is given, but three studies found that longer infusions (4–14 days) produced pain relief lasting up to 3…

Anesthesia and Sedative Agents Pain Mechanisms and Treatments Treatment of Major Depression

Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: Challenges and Strategies

Daphne Voineskos, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Daniel M. Blumberger
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment Summary & key facts 2020 411 citations

This paper is a careful review of research about treatment-resistant depression. The authors looked through medical studies to see how doctors define this kind of depression, what makes it hard to assess, and which treatments have been tried. They describe drug strategies like adding lithium or thyroid hormone, switching antidepressant…

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine Psilocybin

Ketamine: Current applications in anesthesia, pain, and critical care

Madhuri S Kurdi, Kaushic A Theerth, Radhika S Deva
PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2014 379 citations

This 2014 review describes how ketamine, an anesthetic first sold in 1970, is used today in anesthesia, pain care, and critical care. The paper says ketamine has many effects: it can raise heart rate and blood pressure, relax airways, spare breathing, and block NMDA receptors. Newer research reported possible neuroprotective,…

Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research Anesthesia and Pain Management Anesthesia and Sedative Agents

Therapeutic effect of forest bathing on human hypertension in the elderly

Genxiang Mao, Yong-Bao Cao, Xiao-Guang Lan, Zhihua He, Zhuo-Mei Chen, Yazhen Wang, et al.
Journal of Cardiology Summary & key facts 2012 227 citations

In a randomized trial of 24 elderly people with essential hypertension (12 in each group), one group spent 7 days and nights in a broad‑leaved evergreen forest and the other stayed in an urban area. After the trip, the forest group had a significant drop in blood pressure compared with…

Biofield Effects and Biophysics Therapeutic Uses of Natural Elements Urban Green Space and Health

Antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction: impact, effects, and treatment

Agnès Higgins
Drug Healthcare and Patient Safety Summary & key facts 2010 218 citations

This review says sexual problems are common side effects of many antidepressant medicines. The exact chance varies a lot between studies. Problems can include lower sex drive, less excitement, delayed or lost orgasms, and erection or ejaculation trouble. Some drugs (many SSRIs and venlafaxine) often show high rates, while others…

Hormonal and reproductive studies Sexual function and dysfunction studies Treatment of Major Depression

Rethinking Menopausal Hormone Therapy: For Whom, What, When, and How Long?

Leslie Cho, Andrew M. Kaunitz, Stephanie S. Faubion, Sharonne N. Hayes, Emily S. Lau, Nicole Pristera, et al.
Circulation Summary & key facts 2023 157 citations

Past large trials found that using combined estrogen and progestin was linked to higher heart-related risk, and hormone therapy (HT) use fell a lot afterward. In the last 20 years, research shows that when HT starts (age and time since menopause) and how it is given (route) affect heart disease…

Estrogen and related hormone effects Menopause: Health Impacts and Treatments Phytoestrogen effects and research

Major depressive disorder: Validated treatments and future challenges

Rabie Karrouri, Zakaria HAMMANI, Roukaya Benjelloun, Yassine Otheman
World Journal of Clinical Cases Summary & key facts 2021 155 citations

Depression is a prevalent psychiatric disorder that often leads to poor quality of life and impaired functioning. Treatment during the acute phase of a major depressive episode aims to help the patient reach a remission state and eventually return to their baseline level of functioning. Pharmacotherapy, especially selective serotonin reuptake…

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies Treatment of Major Depression

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Literature

Sandra J Drozdz, Akash Goel, Matthew W McGarr, Joel Katz, Paul Ritvo, Gabriella Mattina, et al.
PubMed Summary & key facts 2022 92 citations

This systematic review looked at 17 studies with a total of 603 participants on ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP). The reviewed reports say KAP can, in some cases, start and lengthen meaningful reductions in pain, anxiety, and depression, and help with rapport, treatment engagement, and abstinence for people with substance problems. However,…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Neurological Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Kuldeep Singh, Bharat Bhushan, Dilip Kumar Chanchal, Satish Kumar Sharma, Ketki Rani, Manoj Kumar Yadav, et al.
Behavioural Neurology Summary & key facts 2023 55 citations

This 2023 review looks at many studies of cannabidiol (CBD) for brain and nerve conditions. It found lab, animal, and human evidence that CBD can reduce seizures and may protect nerve cells, lower inflammation, and act as an antioxidant. The review says results are promising for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research GABA and Rice Research Pancreatic function and diabetes
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