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.

2 papers

Ketamine decreases neuronally released glutamate via retrograde stimulation of presynaptic adenosine A1 receptors

Vesna Lazarevic, Yunting Yang, Ivana Flais, Per Svenningsson
Molecular Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2021 71 citations

This study in rodents and in neuronal cell cultures found that ketamine and its antidepressant metabolite (2R,6R)-HNK rapidly lower neuronally released glutamate in brain regions linked to depression. Using fast glutamate sensors (FAST), isolated synapses, and primary cortical neurons, the authors showed reduced depolarization-evoked glutamate release within 30 minutes after…

Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Effects of psychoplastogens on blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in humans: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abigail E. Calder, Adrian Hase, Gregor Hasler
Molecular Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2024 10 citations

Researchers pooled results from 29 human studies that measured blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, after people received so-called psychoplastogen drugs such as ketamine or psychedelics. They found no clear change in blood BDNF after these drugs. The authors say this does not prove the…

Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Treatment of Major Depression Ayahuasca Ketamine
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